1. What are the key marketing trends you currently observe in the banking sector, and how is Mashreq Bank adapting to these changes?

• AI & GenAI:
  • Banking industry, given its very nature as protectors of people’s money, has for the most part taken a cautious approach to AI, primarily prioritising security, risk controls and streamlined process management. As a result, marketers in other industries have been much more aggressive in experimenting with the technology and its tools.
  • But the industry has started embracing it – we are see greater levels of experimentation with AI and automation. It is no more seen as a competitive advantage but is becoming more of a baseline expectation.
  • As a crucial next step, we need to separate created ‘hype’ from real ‘hope’ – which means we must step back and look at which tasks actually benefit from GenAI, where does human creativity take full precedence and which ones can be completely automated for maximum impact, which are the tools worth the money spent, which tools really deserve my team’s time and efforts in training and experimenting?
  • The golden rules for marketers remain and will remain the same:
    • Strategy must come first — clearly defining goals, understanding their audience, and setting measurable outcomes — before identifying where AI can amplify efforts.
    • Always prioritize responsible and ethical implementation of AI tools.
    • Customer-first content and campaigns led by human empathy and creativity
    • Quality over quantity – like Mashreq’s Group CEO recently said during an FT panel discussion: At Mashreq, incorporating AI has been about delivering impact, rather than number of use cases.
    • Continue testing and refining – don’t sit with what works, keep it running, but also try new things, refine and rework. The world is changing fast, and the pace will never slow. So why must you or your marketing?

• Other key trends:
  • Storytelling through digital – ‘Digital storytelling’ is the term used more commonly. But I think the emphasis still remains on ‘storytelling’ that is now being increasingly done and consumed through digital mediums. Storytelling is the oldest form of marketing but never been more relevant, as AI-generated content and bite-sized content clutter people’s never-ending feeds. To stand out today, you need to tell something that sticks in the real sense. And what can be more memorable than a great story – that can be delivered right at the moment when the consumer is ready through digital.
  • Video content within social strategies – short-form videos in particular
  • Gen Alpha and the rise of youth-focused marketing – millennials are parents to Gen Alpha today, and they are saving big for their children, are more intent on their children’s financial literacy and confidence. How can we as banks enable both these generations, understanding that millennial mothers may not be comfortable with brands directly interacting with their kids, but might want a degree of parental control and brand partnership to drive healthy financial behavours and future for their kids.
  • Regulator’s focus on risk management, frauds mitigation – as frauds get more sophisticated with fraudsters too using AI, banks are partnering with the regulators to drive awareness campaigns about the evolving fraud landscape and ultimately, protecting consumers.
  • Microinfluencers – known for their niche expertise, authentic engagement, and relatable content – making them more trustworthy and relatable, while being more cost-effective.
  • Interactive elements on social – polls, live Q&As, UGC campaigns – that integrate and reflect what consumers believe, think and say, making them and their contribution part of your story and success.
  • Social responsibility and sustainability – this is growing and we have taken lead in the MENA region in terms of our commitment and action as Mashreq and its marketing team.
  • Authenticity and Transparency – Eg: BTS content of social responsibility programs that shows real action, beyond mere slogans.

2. With the rising importance of customer experience, what strategies does Mashreq Bank employ to enhance customer engagement and loyalty?

AI does not just speed things up, it also makes them smarter. With the help of AI, at Mashreq, we are able to predict almost accurately the needs and wants of our customers and respond accordingly. An example is in the shift we have seen in our loyalty programs. Earlier, financial services providers would create and deploy the same loyalty programs for all customers and hope it will stick. Based on our understanding of consumer behavior using GenAI engines that can analyse vast amounts of transactional data to uncover patterns and preferences unique to each customer, we now know exactly what each consumer really needs, will appreciate and what will drive loyalty, which is helping us hyper-personalise our loyalty programs for everyone.

Another example is with GenAI as a “natural language” interface, how would that change the way clients interact with the bank? Can we simplify their interactions to take place via either voice or text instead of complex navigations involving menus in an app.

Mashreq also has been a pioneer in the chatbot space. In the UAE alone, Mashreq supports over 100,000 chat sessions per month via chatbot. Our AI chatbot has been finely tuned to enjoy a 95 per cent accuracy in recognising the intent of customers’ conversations, resulting in higher service availability to clients and a reduction in calls to call centres.

3. What role does content marketing play in your overall strategy, and how do you ensure it aligns with your brand messaging?

• There are no second chances when it comes to content – not standing out means quick unfollows, deletes, or unsubscribes.
• And it is not just about ensuring alignment with brand messaging – which is rather fundamental – it is now increasingly about ‘living up to your brand messaging’. If you’re saying ‘we have integrated sustainability into our core operations’ – don’t just say it, show it – in an age of information overload, brand that follow through their messaging with action will stay with their audience
• Here’s one fascinating research finding that made me very intrigued: 90% of consumer decisions are made by the subconscious mind. And if you think emotion in your story is enough – you’re wrong. Neuroscience reveals that there are 3 big drivers that drive behavior and decision-making: 1) Personal Relevance, 2) Emotional Intensity and 3) Memory Encoding. What’s worth noting is that, if the brain doesn’t commit your message to memory, it won’t influence behaviour. We’re not just competing for ‘attention’; we’re competing for long-term memory real estate. Driving long-term change needs a message people will remember, not just react to. And one of the most potent ways to do this, is to create powerful stories and land them in people’s hands, in front of their eyes, at the right moment – which is where digital mediums play their part.
• Another golden rule that holds immense power in today’s cluttered world is ‘quality over quantity’
  • This means creating human-driven, emotionally resonating, personally relevant and memorable content, because there’s such a surge of similar robotic sounding, a sea of sameness driven by lifeless AI content generated every day.
• Authentic content which is more ‘heart’ and authority building content that is real thought leadership, not thought farming – content that really takes root in the human brain, flows with real emotion, and only at that stage does it get enhanced by AI – ‘where does it take root’ is a key question to ask – that would be the key to build trust, enhance credibility, improve your consumer’s and communities’ experience. Will this content stop the scroll, make people sit up and ‘long’ for a ‘long-form video or article’ from me on the same topic or theme?

We hear and say so much that ‘attention spans are decreasing’ but it’s actually ‘great content that is diminishing’. People will stay up, sit up and consume content — no matter its length — as long as it is truly authentic, resonates at a deep level and inspires them to take action.

4. Looking ahead, what trends do you predict will shape the future of marketing in the banking industry?

AI isn’t here to replace creativity, it’s here to amplify it. The future of AI in marketing will not centre only on creation or process optimisation, it will be about using AI to help in real-time strategy from brainstorming to creating quick visuals, data insights and reasoning to even crisis management with live insights and multiple platform tracking. We won’t be using one AI tool, but will be deploying AI stacks, a team of AI agents, each with a purpose to help us strategise smarter and move faster.

Authenticity and stories that take root in consumers’ memories. Remember that ad you watched in your childhood that you still remember and smile as you do? Storytelling like that is going nowhere – in fact, it will become the most powerful way you make your brand’s way into the lives of your consumers.

Thought leadership, not thought farming. How much of your content is truly led by unique insights or views vis-à-vis how much is content curation.

Sustainability, social responsibility and community building — Embedding purpose into every aspect of brand engagement.

• Consumers are drawn to brands that stand for something greater than their products or services. Those that champion social, environmental, and cultural causes build deeper, more meaningful relationships with their audience.
• Aligning brand efforts with impactful initiatives enhances credibility and engenders trust.
• Building brand advocacy goes beyond individual engagement – it requires fostering strong communities. Mashreq’s Climb2Change initiative exemplifies this approach. In Egypt’s Wadi Degla Protectorate, volunteers from diverse backgrounds dedicated 809 hours to environmental conservation efforts, including 228 hours from Mashreq employees and 581 hours from schools, universities, and community members. Beyond the cleanup, the initiative provided 72 local entities with sustainability education, reinforcing long-term impact. Similarly, in Pakistan, Climb2Change volunteers removed 1.727 tons of waste from key mountain sites, engaging over 100 local community members and benefiting 47 small businesses.
• These initiatives highlight how brands can transcend transactional relationships and cultivate trust by embedding themselves within communities, demonstrating their values through action rather than mere messaging.