(This is the second half of “The Future of Financial Branding.” Click here to read Part 1 .)

Prediction #4: Traditional branches will thrive.

Ten years ago, people predicted that online banking would kill traditional branches. That hasn’t happened, and it probably never will.

While a physical branch presence is no longer a pre-requisite in financial services, there is (and probably always will be) a measurable segment of the population that wants/needs to walk into a branch to talk to a real person. If not for routine transactions, certainly the big ones, like home loans.

The real tragedy is that traditional branches (as in “the way we’ve always done it”) will also thrive. With startling frequency, cookie-cutter branches are built with almost no strategy or scrutiny from senior management. Local architects are hired, and they do what’s expected: Build something that looks like a bank. That’s how you end up with 12 teller stations sealed off behind bullet-proof glass. Warm and personal? Phbbbt… More like transaction factories.

That said, a growing number of financial institutions seem to be grasping the importance of using branches to stand out. Of course, they seem to frequently borrow each other’s branch models instead of engineering their own unique experiences (see Prediction #5) — e.g., concierges/greeter stations and coffee cafes.

Prediction #5: Innovation will come from extensive R&D.

Sorry, but that’s “Ripoff & Duplicate,” not “Research & Development.” History proves that everything successful in the financial industry gets copied at some point or another. But in the future, duplication will occur almost instantly. Some things will be copied before anyone knows for sure how well it works.

And where will these new ideas come from? Not from within the financial industry itself. The most disruptive forces in financial services will sneak up from outsiders and entrepreneurs, especially online startups like those frequently covered by NetBanker.

Prediction #6: Being green won’t make a difference.

Being green will make a difference for the environment, and that’s great. But will it create any kind of brand boost for financial institutions in the future? Not really. Why? Because in 10 years, everyone will be doing it. Everyone will have to “be green.” It’s something consumers will simply expect.

That said, the green bandwagon is filling up quickly. So you better hop on now before you get left behind. In 10 years, being un-green, well, that’s a whole different story. Ten years from now, if you want to see a consumer backlash, try telling people you don’t offer basic “green” stuff like e-statements.

There will always be room in the consumer’s hall of fame for hardcore financial brands that take green to the nth degree. But only a handful of organizations are really capable of taking their green commitment to the fullest possible extent. Truthfully, only a small handful of companies in any industry are comfortable taking anything to the max, which is precisely what effective branding requires… and why so few can do it well.

Conclusion

These are just a few of the trends that fuel the massive homogeneity shared by the thousands upon thousands of banks and credit unions in North America.

Any difference, no matter how big or small, will capture people’s attention. Ten years from now, those financial brands that seek out and foster these differences will thrive, leaving others to compete on price and grow through mergers.

In the meantime, many banks and credit unions will roll-out superficial rebranding campaigns and cosmetic makeovers (many hitched to name changes and mergers), only a handful will muster the hoohahs to really stand out. Even fewer will commit the resources to really pull it off.

For regular readers of this blog, it can be easy to get wrapped up in the excitement of the occasional breakthrough like Umpqua Bank, Young & Free and The Addison Café. But these represent a mere micro-fraction of the vast sea of me-too financial service providers out there.

If it’s any relief, know this: This isn’t just a problem facing financial institutions. It happens in every industry. Branding is hard. Good branding flies in the face of our instincts — instincts that tell us that “fitting in” and sticking with the pack is the best formula for survival.

If you read this far, the good news is that you are probably in a role to help prevent this sameness from happening—at least at your organization. It’s never to late to get started. Just don’t wait 10 years.

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Jeffry Pilcher, publisher of The Financial Brand, has worked exclusively on financial brands for the last eight years. In summer months when he isn’t knee-deep in credit union brands and names, he’s knee deep in Alaska’s rivers, fishing for king salmon. The rest of his free time with is spent with his wife, Tina, or loving his faithfully devoted dogs Dude and Sweet P.

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