Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein brand | KKW | Banking and Financial Services Industry

Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein
insecure and overdrawn
August 27, 2001

Perception is reality, and no business or public figure is immune to that precept of branding – even a German investment bank. Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein (DrKW), the investment bank of Dresdner Bank AG, displays its window on the world at www.DrKW.com

The site is not unpleasant, but its feel and design seem to have been left to web developers

without the supervision of a creative DrKW corporate brand manager (unfortunately, that happens often in the corporate world). Indeed, the website is rather a demonstration of technological competence than a tool to reinforce the visitor’s interest and bond in favor of DrKW.

As a window to the world, the site connotes a certain massiveness, absence of taste, and lack of awareness of the client – all attributes that are probably not part of DrKW positioning strategy. With its straightforward Welcome, What would you like to do? and Latest Awards sections the language is rather folksy, self-congratulating, and generally unbusiness-like. The perception thus created might work well for a savings bank in Small Town, USA, but not for an international institution rooted in the strongest economy of Europe. In addition, the web developers left an unmistakable trail of Site Map and Feedback buttons (which, by default, leads you to send your “comments about this website”).

If the site is deficient in terms of emotional appeal, it certainly tries to make up for it on the technological side. Prominently displayed below the “Welcome” is a search engine, which unfortunately did not work at the time of this Webwatch. Almost as notably featured, the Online Markets Portal, which offers economic and financial research information, does seem rather elaborate but is password protected. The financial Glossary is also very complete. With a better branded package and customer-focused layout, this kind of research and informational content could provide (the start of) a great story to make DrKW clients brag about the online capabilities of their investment bank.

*Due to the constantly changing environment of websites, some reviews may no longer reflect the current website for this brand.


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