Hot or Hype: What’s Actually Sticking in Banking?

Text Transcription

Intro: This is Believe in Banking, a podcast series for decision makers, influencers, and leaders, featuring experts taking on the financial industry’s most pressing issues with insight and empathy. The podcast features information and conversations designed to enlighten and empower.

Gina Bleedorn (00:17): Welcome to our Believe in Banking podcast. I’m Gina Bleedorn, president and CEO of Adrenaline.

Juliet D’Ambrosio (00:24): And I’m Juliet D’Ambrosio, Chief Experience Officer at Adrenaline.

Gina, we’re doing something a little different today, and you know we always love to shake things up. We have spent the last, oh, give it 6-8 weeks very much doing what we love to do best, which is connecting with the industry at large at conferences all over the country. You and I both racked up a lot of sky miles over the last few weeks. We have been to America’s Credit Union’s Marketing PR and Development Council conference that was in Denver in March. We went to Vegas of course for a Financial Brand Forum in April. BankSpaces was in Bonita Springs, Florida in April, and Eltropy Emerge in April as well, one of the newer conferences that Adrenaline has been to. Then, the Bank Directors C-Suite Summit which was also in April. And we’re looking ahead to Future Branches Boston in June.

So man, we have been spending time listening to amazing speaker content, and creating content for these conferences. And today we want to spend a little time reflecting on some of the big themes that we heard, but doing it in less of our usual back-and-forth way and more in a way that our Gen Z listeners and audiences that we’ve spoken so much about would love. So, we are doing a “hot or hype” approach. We have several big topics that emerged across all of these conferences, and we want to spend just a little time breaking down whether or not we think there is real merit in some of these themes or it’s a little bit hype, and we can keep our eye on it but nothing for our listeners to really prioritize at the moment. It’s going to be really fun I think in about a year to come back to this podcast and figure out if we really are futurists or not and how many we accurately labeled.

And joining us for this conversation, we have a very special guest that many in the industry may know and who was also part of our conference team.

Gina Bleedorn (02:48): That person is Don Mallory. So, Don Mallory joined Adrenaline about six months ago as an industry expert. He is a client champion. He works primarily with new client relationships, bringing them in, structuring them and setting them up for success in our company. But in the last 20 years, he spent 16 of them as a banker. He was at Zions Bank, he was at Bank of Oklahoma, and around pandemic time, he switched sides of the fence to join the partner solution provider side and has switched to join our side just recently. So, he focuses on large bank networks, larger banks, national accounts, and has really outstanding perspective of everything happening in the industry having been now on both sides. So, we wanted to balance out our knowledge here in our “hot or hype” discussion with Juliet, I and Don all adding our perspectives.

Juliet D’Ambrosio (03:51): First of all, Don, welcome to Believe in Banking. So honored to have you here joining us for this fun game. Are you ready?

Don Mallory (03:59): I am Gina and Juliet. Thank you so much for the honor of being on the podcast.

Juliet D’Ambrosio (04:03): Yeah. I can’t wait to hear some of your perspective as both a former banker and now a client partner. I think you can bring a lot of insight to these topics. So, just a little bit of housekeeping. We’re going to throw out a series of these topics all that have emerged from that long list of events that I went through, and we’re going to ask just the question: is it hot or hype? These are really just capturing our perspectives here.

So, I’ll get us started. It wouldn’t be 2026 if we didn’t ask about the elephant in every room, which is AI and AI in banking, specifically. So throwing it out here, AI and banking, is it hot or hype? Are we seeing AI transform experiences or is it something that we’re mostly still talking about? Is it creating a meaningful advancement for our banking clients? So Gina, Don, tell me what you think, hot or hype?

Gina Bleedorn (05:08): I’ve got to put Don in the hot seat to get us started. Don?

Don Mallory (05:12): Alright, I’m still feeling this is a little hype. From my perspective, I think AI is happening behind the curtain rather than out in the open. I think FIs along with customers are really lacking trust right now in AI tools. I can see possibilities from low balance alerts and automatic transfers from savings or loans to cover overdrafts and to even just knowing that I’d rather have $5 bills than $10 bills when I go to the ATM, but I’m not sure I’m seeing it in practice yet.

Gina Bleedorn (05:42): I like that about behind the curtain. I totally agree. There’s no customer facing solutions that we are seeing of note that besides chatbots and things that were kind of already there and that are getting a little better. There’s certainly some products that are exciting in the field that are beginning to emerge, but it’s not meaningfully impacted experience yet on the public-facing side at mass.

Juliet D’Ambrosio (06:08): Yeah. I’m going to make it a three for three here where I do think it’s hype. And what I see is from two perspectives. One, just in the sheer focus of content. If I think back to 2025 conferences or even 2024 conferences, there wasn’t a session that wasn’t about AI, and I’m a little bit exaggerating, but there was so much focus there, and it was driven by a lot of anxiety around it. When I spoke with people across the industry that they really needed to figure out AI, there were these big headlines. There was this promise of efficiency and a sense that they might get left behind. What we are seeing now I think is that reckoning of yes, a tool but how to use it, and the other way that I think that it’s hype is just building on Don, what you said, that lack of trust.

When we look very specifically at younger audiences, Gen Z and Millennials are least likely to want to use AI in their banking lives, and they have the least amount of trust in AI tools. It’s counterintuitive, a little bit there, but this sense that trust relationships are still developed with other human beings and AI can be used for efficiency. So, I think this one definitely is in the hype category for sure.

Gina Bleedorn (07:37): I have a follow-on asterisk on this one. One of my most trusted sources in AI expertise, his name’s Mohan Sawney. He says that AI is very much, and this is in the macro sense, not just in banking, AI is over-hyped right now and under-hyped for what’s next. And so I am here to not be saying, “Oh, AI, no big deal, not impacting [anything].” But rather we’re all saying it’s hype right now because no one has figured out how to harness it or use it in a mature at scale way to affect customer experience, yet. But in the broader sense, there’s going to be massive implications of AI.

If you want to scare yourself, there is a new Accenture report called Unconstrained Banking that talks about things like agentic bankers banking with themselves, like AI moving money around autonomously, which is terrifying. I will mention in that same report that’s talking about all this AI impact and banking stuff, it says, by the way, physical locations still matter and you should still build branches. So that’s good for our jobs and the many people jobs listening to this podcast, but just wanted to mention the long-term impact is going to be massive in ways we don’t yet know, but the short-term impact has been mostly hype, as we said.

Juliet D’Ambrosio (09:07): I’m going to do a follow-on too, if I may, on the AI tip. And this is something that has recently surfaced even, Don, I think it sort of backs up what you were saying about how AI is behind the curtain here in its more transformative ways that Adrenaline is looking at agentic personas. Personas are what we use all the time both in experience design and journey mapping, as well as marketing personas and the ability to create agentic personas that represent and react and respond to stimuli the way that people do based on inputs can be massively helpful. But again, it’s a tool, and it’s a behind the curtain tool versus customer facing. So lots to come there. We shall see.

Gina Bleedorn (10:01): I’m going to do our next one, building on what I just said, and I wasn’t trying to stack the deck, but the branch comeback. Is that hot or hype? We hear massive investments: TD, PNC, Wells, BofA, Chase, investing in branches. Is this a trend that’s penetrating throughout the industry, including community banks and credit unions? Is it going to last? Hot or hype? Don, back to you.

Don Mallory (10:30): Alright, this is hot. I know it’s real just based on the acceleration of projects I’ve seen over the past four years. I’m aging myself a bit, but I spent over 15 years as a banker and a bank marketer, and I’ve watched how institutions have decided that they’re going to be a digital bank and cut back on branch investments only to now come back and play catch up. I mean, I think if I can’t even count on one hand how many conversations I’ve had at these events about just that we’re playing catch up. The commitment from getting back to a seven year refresh or whatever that magical refresh schedule looks like, walking into a dark, quiet, and uninspiring branch isn’t convincing your customers or your employees that they matter.

Juliet D’Ambrosio (11:15): Yeah, I’m going to back that up 100%. This is hot and I’m going to quote a headline that I think captures it beautifully: “The branch is dead is dead.” That came from a report from Bancography and the Financial Brand just this year. So, the narrative that Don you were speaking to just about how digital is going to be the thing, and that is true. Digital has been a massive disruptor in all the good ways: helping to drive efficiencies, making it easier “do banking.” But people want to go to the branch, and when they go to the branch, they want it to be designed around their needs and they want to have really experiences that are welcoming and advisory in nature and everything that we know that gets to the heart of trust and where that can only happen sometimes looking across the table or sitting next to a banker and another human being.

And I guess I’m just going to keep playing the voice of Gen Z because I’ve been working in that world for quite a bit in that data. But we also know that the branch continues to be an incredibly powerful channel for Gen Z acquisition and for stickiness. So even though you think that these branches are there or you might think that they’re only there serving the needs of older generations who came up with just branch banking, younger people use branches too. And even if they don’t go in them very often, it is imperative to have a branch nearby to get them to switch to bank or credit union to have their banking relationship with you. So I think that this is hot, and it’s going to continue to be hot. So when we do come back next year at this time, it might be even hotter than it is today.

Gina Bleedorn (13:12): I mean, I want us to disagree on some things, but it’s not going to be this one, especially as I’ve just talked about this exact topic all over the country the last six weeks, most notably and most recently at BankSpaces. It’s supporting everything Don and Juliet just said. Everyone’s investing because everyone’s realized it’s necessary. And an interesting anecdote: Alos over the last couple of weeks I was speaking at a credit union board meeting and this particular credit union is very digitally focused, very focused on expanding digitally with digital marketing and intend to do so. But even with that, they have simultaneously recognized the importance of physical presence as a digital accelerant and a digital enabler, even if digital’s used to test or to make some headway in some singular products, not PFI. In some markets, if you want to win PFI, you’ve got to be there in person.

It’s hot people. It’s hot.

Juliet D’Ambrosio (14:16): So, the next topic that I want to take on is out-of-category inspiration. Is it hot or hype for our clients or for the industry to look outside of their peers in the banking industry to leaders in retail, in hospitality, in culture, etc., in ways to continue to refresh how they come to market, who they are and their ability to stand out and connect with consumers. So Don, what do you think? Is this hot or hype?

Don Mallory (14:51): So I think it’s hot just because, I mean, I’ve been personally obsessed with athletic and outdoor brands over the course of the last many years, I would say.

Juliet D’Ambrosio (15:01): Which ones, Don?

Don Mallory (15:02): I like Arc’teryx, and I know that there’s a new Nike store in Soho, New York City that I want to visit on my next visit. What I love about these brands and these stores and physical spaces is that they’re just so good at storytelling and so good at immersion techniques. Honestly, they convince me that I can do anything. I can hike that mountain. I can do all these things. And it’s just such a positive way of connecting to the brand for just someone literally walking in off the street. I just think there’s so much opportunity to learn from some of these retailers. So, I’m a big hot with looking at out-of-category inspiration.

Juliet D’Ambrosio (15:40): Gina, what do you think?

Gina Bleedorn (15:41): Well, I’ve been looking for an opportunity to fight with Don. So I want to do so right now. Seriously, I do think there is absolutely inspiration to be found looking out-of-category, but for the sake of argument and again, wanting to contradict Don, I find that the place the industry’s in right now, it’s a little bit more, I think, hype to be looking at other out-of-category brands. And the reason is I think about, let’s call it pre-Covid, everyone was looking to retail and hospitality, everyone in banking. And what has happened since is that banking has emerged as its own category, I think, of inspiration. And so now I think the critical mass has shifted to differentiate among the best in banking not to differentiate or even to need to reach for retail or for out-of-category.

I say that with a little bit of an asterisk. There is absolutely merit to looking outside, but I think for most the focus needs to be a little more inside right now because there is both industry things being done that are aspirational, but also so much low hanging fruit that needs to be fixed before we can get to out of category things. So, I’m going to say hype.

Juliet D’Ambrosio (17:12): Okay. Well, I don’t get the chance to be a renegade because I’m agreeing with one of you, but I am also, Gina, going to say hype. And the reason I say that is the conversations that I have with clients almost daily, working with C-suites across both credit unions and banks, which always comes back to the idea of how are we going to break through the noise? And when we talk about breaking through the noise, if we really press and ask the right questions, the noise as defined by our clients is always going to be the bank down the street, the credit union that is just in the next town over. It is the Chases of the world that have such a great brand and branch experience. And so this idea that there’s a little bit of an echo chamber of looking inside industry.

And if we really press and you ask really any group of people, “Well, tell me a brand that you love.” If you had to pick one outside of category, there are two brands that come up. One is Apple, no surprise there. And the second is almost always Ritz-Carlton, which has this incredible service component to it. And those are great things to look at. One is so customer experience focused with Apple. One is customer experience focused, but really around the idea of hospitality, welcome, and meeting people where they are. But I’ll also say those are the only two that usually come up. And so this idea that there is a whole world, there are the Arc’teryxes of the world, the outdoor voices of the world, there are major retailers, there are food and beverage hospitality brands that are paving the way in new ways that the banking industry can look to understand how do we unlock that magic in relevant ways and bring it into our own banking experiences? So the opportunity is there, Gina, yes, with all the low hanging fruit, but right now I don’t see it happening at scale. Hype category for sure.

Don Mallory (19:25): Alright. Our next one is all about networking and industry events from pirate ships to theme nights, what is actually building connections versus what’s just entertainment, what matters most, content connections or something else? Very timely question on this one. Gina Juliet, who wants to take us first?

Juliet D’Ambrosio (19:43): I’ll go first this time. First of all, confirm or deny: Don and Gina, that at a recent event there were pirate costumes involved for both of you?

Don Mallory (19:54): That’s a confirm I may have gotten a new nickname. Pirate Don, right?

Gina Bleedorn (19:59): What was unfortunate is that only Don and I dressed up for the pirate ship at BankSpaces. So that made us stand out further. When I asked Don what the female version of a pirate was, he told me it was a wench. He did not call me a wench, but that then had to be the theme of my outfit, and he was indeed a pirate with a hat and a parrot.

Juliet D’Ambrosio (20:23): Well, Ahoy Mateys, then. I think networking industry events are hot. I say that from the vantage point of an introvert in which having a series of events like this are something that it really takes energy to participate in. But every time I’ve done it, what I find is more and more value because events are getting smarter. I think the content is more dialed in to the industry’s needs. There’s more of a diversity of content. There are great examples I think of balancing good content with good time to just hang out with one another, meaning with the industry or people that you meet there. And I think that can be some of the most valuable time.

When I think back to conferences that I have found transformative in my career, I often remember like the lunch table or the breakfast line that I happen to strike up a conversation with someone and it turns into a real relationship. And so I think this idea that there are conferences that are curated so beautifully that are meant to bring together people who are of like need and of like mind and are programmed really well with more of that balance of content and networking. I think and hope we continue to see more and more of these as time goes on. So this is going to be a perennial hot for me.

Gina Bleedorn (21:59): I would like to know what Don thinks.

Don Mallory (22:02): Well, alright. So I’m a little bit biased clearly with the pirate-themed nickname that I’ve already received, but I think these themes may be gimmicky, these kind of themes events really do help to build memories that do turn into connections and if nurtured, right, can become real relationships. I think we’re all tired of the events that you sit in the room and you listen to just very product driven and lack of insights, heavy feedback. And again, these events really change the script a little bit to build those memories that, again, like I said, really turn into long-term relationships.

Gina Bleedorn (22:35): Yeah. I agree with both of you. I’m on the hot side. There’s also some hype in that I think what we’re all saying is the most intimate experiences and the experiences where we can connect the most legitimately with people are the best ones and the ones we remember. So whether it’s a big event or a small event, even a big event needs to have opportunities carved out to do so instead of just listening to speech after speech with everybody just multitasking in a ballroom. That’s not what moves the needle. But I agree. Juliet said this, and I’ve experienced there are many options now where there’s such legitimacy, peer-to-peer connections, real deep conversations, time and space to have just legitimate business conversations that are additive. That’s where it’s going. And so as long as industry and peer connections and groups and events are doing that, they will continue to be successful.

Ultimately, nothing replaces that in-person connection, and we experienced it so painfully during Covid when we didn’t have it. I think that’s why events have shot back, but they’re proliferating and changing. It’s not just the mega events, it’s the micro events now to lots of hotness across the board.

Juliet D’Ambrosio (23:57): So I think what we learned today is that we are in violent agreement most of the time on some of these big topics and that I think that’s a good thing, but there’s nuance. And so it’s interesting to me to hear how everyone answers questions a little bit differently or has different reasons behind their answer. So that was fun. I can’t let us end this episode without putting Don on the spot because he is after all our special guest, and we ask all of our guests why they believe in banking. And as a former banker and someone who partners with banks, I know you do believe in banking, Don, but why?

Don Mallory (24:42): Thanks, Juliet. And I would say as a recovering banker, I have had the opportunity from firsthand with a bank in my case, I’ve seen banks be a growth engine for the neighborhood, for the communities they serve, from a home purchase, a new business loan, or even balancing a checkbook. Yes, people still use checks. Banking I think at its best creates opportunity and stability and really that oomph that we need. So I absolutely believe in banking and I’m honored to be involved in any level with so many great institutions.

Gina Bleedorn (25:13): Thank you, Don. You’ve spent your career serving banks in one way or another, and we have very much appreciated your perspective to supplement Juliet and my own on “What Is Hot and What is Hype.” Thank you for believing in banking.

Don Mallory (25:30): Thank you. Thanks for having me. This has been great.

Gina Bleedorn (25:32): Pirate Don believes in banking.

Outro: You’ve been listening to Believe in Banking, a podcast series created to empower decision makers, influencers, and industry leaders in financial services.

Newsletter