Deeper Brand Integration Pays Off for Neural Payments

At the recent summit hosted by the Association for Financial Technology (AFT) I sat down with Melissa Kopp , Executive Director of Client Experience at Neural Payments . We met over lunch at the Encore Hotel & Casino along the edge of Boston Harbor. The chicken pot pie? A miss. The sliced brisket? A hit.

Although we had never before met, Melissa didn’t hesitate to ink our meeting into her busy afternoon schedule. We dove right into the topic of the Neural Payments brand.

"At the core of our success lies a deep integration of brand identity into every aspect of the company,” she shared.

That was music to my ears. As a Brand Strategist, I’ve learned that for most companies, a "brand” conversation naturally turns into a “strategy” conversation. This implies that a lack of brand may indicate a lack of strategy. Without it, fintechs are often left scratching their heads at every crossroad they encounter.

This isn’t the case for Neural Payments.

At the conclusion of the film Castaway, we all knew which direction Tom Hanks’ character was going to turn his car when he stopped at that dusty intersection. Something had already determined his next move.

Similarly, when a fintech brand is properly dialed in, it has the ability to make decisions for you at each fork in the road. That may all sound very “meta”, but the potential is there and Melissa agrees:

“Our brand is more than just a logo or tagline; it's a reflection of who we are and what we stand for. It guides our actions, decisions, and interactions both internally and externally."

You know all those strategic challenges in business that normally cause hesitation and anxiety? There's a workaround. A confident brand can turn those red and yellow lights to green really fast. Melissa went into detail about how their brand shaped their internal culture, stating:

"From our hiring process to our daily operations, our brand values serve as a compass that aligns us towards a common goal. It creates a sense of purpose and belonging among our team members."

This driving force embedded deep within the culture of Neural Payments came out in the open and was on full display at a recent conference. They unexpectedly won Best In Show at GAC 2024 (Governmental Affairs Conference). Melissa shared more about that moment:

"We got the phone call from our sales team onsite @GAC, we were over the moon excited! The judges recognized their passion and dedication, and the positive and vibrant atmosphere they had created, which had resonated with everyone present. That’s what we want people to see, right? When we heard the news, we all felt like brothers and sisters jumping up and down in a candy store — a moment of pure delight.? They won this award because the judges could see on their faces just how much they love and believe in Neural Payments”

None of this was by accident. Melissa and her team made a conscious decision to dial in their brand, deeply integrate it and let it work its magic from the inside out. Neural Payments’ operational and strategic confidence and even its Best In Show win are proof of how much a deeply integrated brand can pay off.

About Neural Payments:

Neural Payments is a new payments engine created to move money on traditional rails, modern FinTech platforms and crypto systems. Our beachhead product is a payment service for financial institutions that finally delivers on the promise of P2P, allowing money to be moved safely, inexpensively, and through the broadest possible number of networks. Learn more at www.neuralpayments.com.

About Garrett Curry (author):

Garrett is a Brand Strategist and CEO of Raygun Design . He has helped brand and design several banking apps and has a client portfolio of both community banks and credit unions. His agency helps scaling fintechs develop product brands capable of penetrating new markets. Garrett can be reached at [email protected].