I decided to analyze the digital engagement of Wells Fargo because it is the bank my family and I have used my whole life. While we have had a good relationship with the bank, I also understand why it has been ranked so poorly. Wells Fargo has received its fair share of scandals in the past decades, with corruption and political turmoil coming to light.
With all this in mind, studying how they create quality digital engagement through the web 2.0 was an interesting process. The first thing I immediately noticed in their simple aesthetic design and choices through their social media, it a uniformity in their red and yellow color scheme. But beyond this surface level design, it is clear that the image Wells Fargo is trying to create is one of inclusive and welcoming nature. Most of all their post highlight the diversity of their customers, as well as using buzz words like community and vision.
One of their clearest attempts to make a connection with customers beyond simple logos is their emphasis on February being “Black History Month”. Many of their most recent tweets highlight their Black employees, with posts and articles on their valued contribution to the Wells Fargo team.
There are some areas where I think Wells Fargo’s digital profile is lacking and they are not using the Web 2.0 to its fullest potential. While it is likely hard to establish a vibrant customer interaction like some media companies are more easily able to do, I would still push Wells Fargo to try to encourage ways that their customers can naturally create content that promotes their brand. I would say 95% of all the Wells Fargo advertising on the web that I looked at is a pure one way communication, more akin to Web 1.0.
In summary I think that Wells Fargo is doing a better job portraying themselves as honest and with integrity (probably their biggest weakness in the reputation). But I think they should be trying to do more to encourage customer interaction with their media posts.
Epic Explorations in Emerging Media 