fair advertising

The Marketing and Communications Department at alrajhi bank abides by its Marketing and Communications Department Policy, which aims to create consistency and transparency in the Department’s functions while ensuring compliance with legal, regulatory and SAMA requirements to avoid contradicting alrajhi bank’s Shariah Policies.

The vision of the Policy is to ensure that the bank achieves good quality benchmarks in its promotional services and marketing communications to the customers and the public by utilising marketing management tools and methodologies that drive profitable returns on marketing investments.

The mission of the Policy is to develop and implement marketing strategies that enhance brand awareness, foster a positive perception of the alrajhi bank brand, and target the right audience with the right products and services.

The Policy comprises financial and service objectives:

Category		Responsibilities
Financial objectives	1.	Provide marketing support to business units to help meet financial targets.
	2.	Align marketing communications with the overall business strategy.
	3.	Measure and monitor returns on marketing investments.
Service objectives	Support business requirements through:
	1.	Marketing Research: Gathering insights for decision-making.
	2.	Marketing Analytics: Evaluating performance metrics.
	3.	Competitive Intelligence: Staying competitive in the market.
	4.	Marketing Communication: Implementing effective outreach strategies.
	5.	Digital Marketing: Leveraging online platforms for engagement.
	6.	Idea Generation and Innovation: Introducing fresh and innovative approaches.
	7.	Corporate Communication: Strengthening stakeholder engagement.
	8.	Brand Management: Building and maintaining a strong brand identity.
	9.	Internal Communication: Streamlining communication within the organisation.
	10.	Ensure timely updates and accurate reporting to relevant departments.
	11.	Comply with internal policies and procedures related to purchasing, finance, customer service, and banking products.

Marketing research and analytics

alrajhi bank emphasizes the importance of marketing research and analytics in customer acquisition, development and management. The bank utilises customer research, competitive benchmarking, marketing statistics and customer trends to initiate its annual marketing plans. These tools allow the bank to align its marketing strategies with customer requirements.

Marketing plans and campaigns

Marketing strategies at alrajhi bank are formulated to fit the strategic business plan while reflecting the bank’s brand equity. Any marketing communication that is to be used must align with the SAMA guidelines, alrajhi bank’s Shariah policy and the Consumer Protection Code. Every campaign should involve the customer on matters of importance like information security and computer crimes. Prior to execution, marketing campaigns must be presented to the compliance group for approval, to ensure adherence to regulatory and institutional requirements.

Regulatory compliance

alrajhi bank fully complies with SAMA rules and regulations for marketing materials. Advertisements are prohibited from the use of Saudi or foreign currency images, religious destinations, or any misleading information. All fees, commissions, and annual percentage rates (APR) must be disclosed clearly, and marketing materials must avoid terms like “free” unless the product or service is entirely free. The advertising of credit products to consumers below the age of 18 is restricted and all the contents of any advert must be free from misleading information.

Content requirements

Any marketing messages which are conveyed through SMS or by email should not contain any links. Advertisements must specify the validity of promotional offers, and any conditions associated with them. Any promotional material must avoid exaggerated claims or misleading content and provide explicit explanations of key terms, including APR and applicable fees. alrajhi marketing department guarantees that all the information published is appropriate and does not contain misleading or overstated information.

Customer communication

alrajhi bank ensures that all marketing communications are consistent with the nature and the needs of the customer. This means that customers have to opt in to receive marketing messages via SMS or email and that marketing messages have to contain information on how PINs, ATM cards and credit card details should be protected. Directions for communicating theft, loss or fraud must also be provided for customer protection and awareness.

Education and awareness

alrajhi bank has the vision of enhancing the level of financial literacy amongst its customers. The bank develops programs and mechanisms to educate existing and potential customers about financial risks, enabling them to make informed decisions. Such attempts include directing the customers to other places for more information in case they need it in a bid to enhance the confidence of the customers in the bank’s services.

Channels for marketing

The bank utilises a variety of channels to market its products and services, including branches, websites, ATMs, account statements, and public media. Marketing communications are well coordinated to meet the SAMA guidelines of consumer credit, credit cards and other products and services to provide customers with relevant and truthful information.

Anti-fraud compliance

alrajhi bank complies fully with SAMA’s Counter Fraud Framework, ensuring that all marketing activities adhere to strict anti-fraud guidelines. Any suspicious activities are promptly reported to designated channels, including a dedicated hotline and email address. This proactive approach reinforces the bank’s commitment to safeguarding customer trust and maintaining the integrity of its marketing practices.

This approach of structure and coverage will enable ARB to maintain compliance with regulatory requirements in the marketing campaigns it undertakes, while delivering effective, transparent, and customer-centric communication.

Digital marketing

Through enhanced profiling, predictive analytics, and targeted digital marketing campaigns in 2024, the bank has achieved significant improvements in click-through-rate (CTR) and precision marketing. By tailoring the bank’s approach to align more closely with customer preferences and behaviours, there has been a notable 80% YoY increase in customer interactions and engagement quality, far above industry average. These strategies have allowed the bank to reach the right audience with greater accuracy, resulting in stronger relationships with customers and improved effectiveness of overall marketing efforts.

The success of these campaigns underscores the importance of data-driven insights, personalised outreach in delivering value to target audiences and reinforcing brand loyalty. This year’s results reflect the bank’s commitment to continually refining its approach, to better meet the needs of its diverse customer base.

Recognising the rising influence of gaming culture among the youth segment, the bank has doubled down on its gaming-related products, aiming to build brand affinity within this segment and drive new card issuance through targeted digital marketing and strategic partnerships. The gamers card campaign exceeded the expectations, driving a remarkable 1,295% YoY increase in card issuances.

Furthermore, the corporate banking offerings campaign which was designed to increase sales and attract new small and medium-sized business (MSB) customers. In a market where MSBs are constantly seeking efficient, reliable financial solutions, the campaign aimed to position the bank’s services as top choice for the segment by focusing on their unique needs and offering tailored solutions. The campaign successfully drove a 133% increase in total sales YoY.

Corporate communication

The bank strives to maintain and improve relationships with various stakeholders, including the public, customers, target markets, suppliers, partners, governmental authorities, regulators, and the media. Whenever corporate communication services are tendered out, the Head of Marketing and Corporate Communication is responsible for guaranteeing that the projects of the external firm are in line with alrajhi bank’s objectives. Also, all corporate communications are made in accordance with the relevant SAMA regulations.