Huntington Bank has consolidated its marketing and digital teams under a single executive, Ameesh Vakharia, in a restructuring designed to strengthen customer experiences across both digital and physical channels. The bank, which oversees $284 billion in assets across 21 states, announced the appointment on September 2, merging its marketing and digital products divisions into one unit supporting all of its business lines. Vakharia previously led strategy and brand initiatives at USAA and held senior positions at Truist and its predecessor, SunTrust.
The move reflects a broader industry shift, as consumers increasingly expect seamless integration between a bank’s branding and its digital service delivery. Vakharia emphasized the challenge in an interview, stating that customers opening a checking account through a mobile app require coordination across brand marketing, product marketing, digital storefronts, and onboarding—all within minutes. Previously, these processes involved multiple handoffs between teams, creating inefficiencies. Huntington’s consolidation aims to eliminate such friction by ensuring a unified experience.
A core objective is reducing disruptions when customers transition between channels. For instance, a user logging into an online account should not need to restart the process when switching to a phone call or in-person visit. Vakharia highlighted the need for continuity: “And if I need to move from one channel of engagement to another, how are we passing that off, so you can stop, start, continue, as opposed to having to start from scratch again, re-explain your situation, and go through it?” While some transitions already function smoothly, gaps persist—particularly when shifting from digital to offline interactions.
Data serves as the backbone of this initiative. Personalized digital interactions rely on customer insights, but those same insights must inform in-person service. A banker taking a call should access a customer’s history and preferences, just as an AI-driven chatbot would.
The strategy also extends to artificial intelligence, which is transforming how banks market products. Customers now discover financial services through AI-powered tools, rather than relying solely on traditional search engine optimization. Huntington must ensure its marketing reaches these emerging engagement points. Internally, AI tools are streamlining workflows, from creative reviews to pre-launch compliance checks.
However, challenges remain in converting vast amounts of customer data into actionable, trustworthy advice. Vakharia noted that the industry still has work to do in delivering personalized recommendations. He said, “It’s what we feel when we get recommendations from our media consumption, such as Netflix or Spotify, think that level of how it knows you and can tee something up, but as it relates to financial education, financial advice, the next step you can take, not just the next product you might buy.”
To align brand messaging with everyday banking tasks, Huntington is ensuring every customer touchpoint reflects a unified identity. Vakharia explained that digital tools must work in tandem with branch staff, so customers perceive the same Huntington experience whether interacting with an app or a teller. Staff members now receive contextual data from the same systems powering online personalization, allowing them to reference a customer’s recent activity, inquiries, and communication preferences without requiring repetition.
