PKO uses pilgrimage to drum up new biz
In the fight for new retail customers, Powszechna Kasa Oszczednosci Bank Panstwowy (PKO BP) is trying to take a holier than thou attitude in regard to competitors.
To do so, it is offering special accounts and loans for Poles taking part in the Year 2000 National Pilgrimage to Rome. This allows the bank to market these special pilgrimage products to the more than 100,000 expected to attend the event.
It also gets PKO BP's marketing materials into a unique distribution channel 13,000 Roman Catholic parishes nationwide. With parishes helping to organize the pilgrimage, they will also get PKO BP's materials out to their members.
"We hope it will help to increase our customer base," said Janusz Ostaszewski, PKO BP's press spokesman. "We have to keep in mind that parishes are economic microcosms as well."
In connection with the pilgrimage, PKO BP last week introduced two new products, a "Pilgrim credit" and a "Pilgrim term deposit." Both can only be used for the trip to Rome.
The credit, which is for as much as zl. 1,800, is available to pilgrimage participants only, and must be certified by their pastors' signatures. The credit, with a 12-month maturity, will bear a competitive 18.5% interest rate, compared to 20.5% interest on other one-year credits.
In addition, PKO BP offers all standard products related to its Superkonto package, such as an individual account and the Visa Electron and Visa Classic cards.
