Making a Bank the SME Partner With the Tukikube Ne I&M Bank Campaign

The challenge

Only 1% of SMEs survive their first year. Many of the businesses that fail struggle with the same things: financial illiteracy, limited access to information, a shortage of mentorship and difficulty reaching financing. I&M Bank saw an opportunity in that reality. Today's entrepreneurs are highly engaged on digital platforms, so digital became the natural place to reach them with practical help and to position the bank as the leading partner for SME empowerment.

The brief

Position I&M Bank as the bank that truly understands SMEs by leading conversations that inspire business owners and promote sustainable growth through financial education and accessibility. The goal was not a product push. It was to earn trust by telling real stories and hosting expert-led conversations that entrepreneurs would actually want to watch and share.

The strategy

We launched Tukikube Ne I&M Bank, a podcast-driven campaign built for how business owners consume content. A seven episode series of short YouTube clips featured entrepreneurs sharing hard-won lessons, and those clips were cut and shared across TikTok, Instagram, X, LinkedIn and Facebook so each platform carried the story in its own format.

The digital work was reinforced on the ground. PR features highlighted SME success stories, and below the line activations took the campaign directly to where entrepreneurs already trade: Nasser Road, Kampala Road and Kisekka Market. Together, the online series and the market presence positioned I&M Bank as a genuine partner in SME growth rather than another advertiser.

The results

The campaign reached 90.1 million people online and drove 3.19 million Google impressions, while the podcast series itself pulled in more than 100,000 in reach and over 177,100 impressions. Social media performance saw an average change of roughly 500% across channels, and paid and organic SEO activity recorded an event count of 804.

The business impact matched the reach: 5.9 billion shillings in loans were generated, ten campaign cars were sold with another thirty in the pipeline, and the programme moved from launch through market storms to public car handovers. As one participant put it, "I was looking for a bank that understands my business."

What I would tell another marketer

SMEs do not respond to being sold to; they respond to being understood. Leading with genuinely useful conversations, and then meeting business owners both on the platforms they already use and in the markets where they already trade, built the trust that made the financing numbers possible. The loans followed the relationship, not the ad spend.

Want a campaign that earns trust before it asks for the sale? Let's talk about the story your brand should be telling.