ASB first NZ bank to embrace Google+

Media Release
10 November 2011

ASB first NZ bank to embrace Google+

ASB is the first New Zealand bank to create a presence on the social media network Google+, following the unveiling of Google+ Pages for businesses this week.

ASB General Manager Internet Banking, Anna Curzon: “Social media channels are increasingly important to our customers so we moved quickly to take advantage of the unique functionality of Google+, allowing us to further listen and engage with our community.”

This is not the first time that ASB has used Google+.  Earlier this year, ASB used the new Google+ Hangouts (a group video chat service) to connect with customers taking part in the beta testing program for the bank’s Android app, which was released last month. 

“The use of Google+ Hangouts was enthusiastically received by our test group, and allowed richer and more transparent discussions to take place with multiple people across the country,” Ms Curzon says. “We recognise the importance of reaching out to our community and involving them in our development process, and the Hangouts helped us further understand how customers are using our products and services.”

ASB already has a strong presence on Facebook and Twitter, with almost 22,000 likes and more than 4000 followers respectively. The bank has also launched a channel on Google’s YouTube. “We receive regular feedback from our community about how useful it is to be able to engage with ASB on Facebook and Twitter, so moving into Google+ is a natural next step for us,” she says.

ASB is already recognised as a leader in social media innovation and is the only New Zealand bank represented on the Financial Brand Top 35 Banks on Facebook and Top 35 Banks on Twitter.  In October, ASB was awarded the Service Innovation Award in the 2011 BAI-Finance Global Banking Innovation Awards for the ASB Virtual Branch on Facebook.

You can see ASB’s Google+ profile here: https://plus.google.com/u/0/112000357075275622853/posts

ENDS