SAHAM BANK – Private Banking & Family Office
Private bank branding: moving upmarket without losing its roots
Private bank branding: born from the transformation of Société Générale Maroc by the Saham group, Saham Bank entrusted Dix Sept Paris with the creation of its Private Banking & Family Office offer. Our mission: to raise the brand to the level of the great wealth management houses and win over a new circle of investors, including international ones, while preserving its Moroccan roots.
This project is our first signed project in Morocco, a brand born in Casablanca that strengthens our presence in the Kingdom.
The challenge: emerge fast, last long, speak to everyone
The launch of Saham Private Banking & Family Office posed a triple strategic challenge.
- Emerge fast and with impact: facing established players, the message had to make an impact beyond the accuracy of the pitch.
- Build a lasting concept: build awareness over time and become a reference brand, rather than settling for a one-off move.
- Speak to distinct audiences with one single message: keep the private bank’s traditional clientele while winning over the younger generation of wealthy Moroccan clients.
Three audiences, three principles: discretion, multiculturalism, trust
Our analysis identified three main profiles: the historic industrial families, for whom private banking is a long-term relationship of trust and whose challenge is transmission; the new generation of entrepreneurs (aged 30 to 50), educated abroad and attentive to digital, transparency and international opportunities; and the Moroccan diaspora, with specific needs for cross-border wealth management.
From this reading came three principles of tone, which structure our recommendation:
- Discretion: the wealthy Moroccan client does not flaunt success. The sensibility is that of quiet luxury.
- Multiculturalism: they move easily between Moroccan, European and African cultures. This agility is a strength, and the brand celebrates it.
- Trust: professionalism and humanity, with a closeness that must never erase the impression of solidity.
A powerful narrative, beyond the Kingdom
Private banking answers a paradox: making it known that an offer of excellence exists, without overexposing it, because rarity, trust and discretion are part of perceived value. We therefore built a voice that is discreet, elegant and assured, in the spirit of quiet luxury, speaking as much to great families and next-generation entrepreneurs as to international investors.
An ambition carried by its founder
In private banking, trust has a face. Moulay Hafid Elalamy, founder of the Saham group and Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Saham Bank, leads the bank’s transformation with one conviction: combining rigor in expertise with agility in execution.
The entire brand platform was designed so that this ambition speaks with a single voice, from identity to film. In the launch plan, we recommended “A Word from the Chairman” as the first highlight of the communication.
Brand strategy, brand book and campaign
- Brand strategy: vision, mission, promise, value proposition and brand territory
- Communication strategy: narrative, key messages and a premium relationship platform
- Visual identity: evolution of the existing logo and guidelines, and a graphic charter for the new category
- Brand book: guidelines, tone of voice, iconography and application examples
- Application: design of the experience dedicated to Private Banking and Family Office clients
- Campaign: film concept (60 and 30 seconds), key visuals and messaging
“To every ambition, its acceleration”
The great families who shaped Morocco and the generation forging its future have one thing in common: they build. Their tools change, not their drive. Our creative territory, Générations Bâtisseurs (“Generations of Builders”), stages this transmission through cross-portraits, ochre architecture and Mediterranean light, with a signature that extends the bank’s own: To every ambition, its acceleration.
The film was produced by another agency, based on our concept, scripts and key visuals.
The film: a cross-portrait of several generations
A premium relationship platform: relationship, expertise, network
Beyond the campaign, we recommended a relationship platform that extends the promise over time, built on three pillars:
- Relationship and circle: carefully chosen moments, intimacy and trust.
- Expertise and value: content and insights to inform decisions, around taxation, investment and wealth structuring.
- Network: introductions and opportunities, driven by Private Banking and Family Office advisers.
Identity and brand book: quiet luxury, Moroccan signature
A sober, statuesque identity that evolves Saham Bank’s existing logo to establish the new Private Banking & Family Office category. Deep burgundy, matte gold, sand tones and mineral materials: the visual world evokes architecture, permanence and discretion. The brand book sets the tone, iconography and usage rules so that every communication stays consistent.
An orchestration in three stages
The goal was not to make more noise, but to send the right signals, to the right audiences, at the right time.
- D-10 to Launch Day, build anticipation: video teaser and countdown stories
- Launch Day to D+7, give the campaign relief: film reveal in 60 then 30 seconds, the Chairman’s message, client ambassadors and employee advocacy kits
- D+7 to D+45, bring the territory to life: movie quotes, behind the scenes, the “Générations Bâtisseurs” and “Builder Stories” series
What this project demonstrates
Positioning a private bank is not about drawing a logo. It means building a coherent system: a brand strategy, an identity, a brand book, experiences and a campaign that say the same thing with the same standard. It is the approach we apply to luxury, beauty and hospitality houses, from Paris to Casablanca: connecting brand strategy, art direction and activation.
Preparing the launch or repositioning of a brand? Discover how our agency approaches luxury branding and brand strategy, explore our global luxury communication agency offer, or talk to us about your brand book.
Moving a bank upmarket starts with giving it a voice: that of a Moroccan ambition, discreet, demanding and turned toward the world.