Although the institution of marriage arose many centuries ago, it is only relatively recently that it has been accepted that relationships should be entered into for love. And for the past decade or so, marriage for love has been entered into with other people and brands. What else but love can you call a situation in which someone wakes up in the middle of the night, runs to a shop, and stands in line for hours to be among the first people to have the privilege of buying a new smartphone?

Mastercard conducted a study to determine whether customers are able to bestow as much affection on banks as some consumer brands. The results of its research were presented in Sopot during the European Financial Congress. The answer to this question seems obvious, but it does not mean banks should be particularly upset about it.

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Respondents were more likely to mention electronics manufacturers, streaming services, and coffee shop chains when asked about their preferred brands. In contrast, companies that provide home electricity or car insurance did not elicit the same positive responses. This type of customer-brand relationship, described by Mastercard as a 'marriage of convenience,' also includes banks.

Contrary to appearances, however, this is not bad news for the bankers themselves. According to the survey, precisely such 'marriages of convenience' are characterized by the most significant loyalty and longevity. Two-thirds of all bank customers have only one personal account and do not want to change it. Unless there is a betrayal, i.e., the bank spoils this relationship, e.g., by not reacting appropriately to the situation the customer finds himself in. The same is also bad news for brands loved by customers. Because love suddenly comes, so it goes. The study showed that 51 percent of customers can change their favorite consumer brand in a product and service category as soon as someone offers them more benefits. Only 7 percent of respondents declared a definite willingness to switch banks.

Managers from leading banks operating in the Polish market were invited to discuss the survey results. Most of them seem to be reconciled to the fact that customers treat their institution like a water or gas provider and are reminded of their existence only when the tap runs out of water. "It seems to me that it is impossible to love a bank. Unless you are its manager," jokes Przemysław Gdański, CEO of BNP Paribas.

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Cezary Kocik, vice president of mBank, expressed a similar opinion. "Love is irrational, so if we assume that someone will love the bank, they will be able to pay much more for its services than the market average. I don't think this is possible," said Cezary Kocik. Adrian Adamowicz from the management board of VeloBank, on the other hand, was happy to hear these words because, in his opinion, positive emotions can be built around a bank brand, and the institution he represents will find it easier to do so and win customers when the competition does not. However, he also acknowledged that it is not easy. "It is the case that films in which banks are robbed are generally liked and, in addition, audiences tend to root for the robbers rather than the robbed," said Adrian Adamowicz.

At the end of the discussion, it was debated whether introducing so-called 'super-apps,' through which customers could handle a wide variety of everyday matters, not always related to financial management, from their mobile banking, could generate more positive emotions around banks.

Most of the interviewees thought that banking super-apps were not what people expected. It was argued that customers would see the benefit in that some simple things, like buying tickets, can be done in a banking app. However, by adding more features, the app's complexity level negatively affects the user experience. But Magdalena Zmitrowicz of Pekao's management board, for example, believes that the large number of functions and services available in mobile banking can encourage its use and that, ultimately, it should be up to the customer himself to decide which service he wants to use and which not.