Writing for The Biggest Bank in Canada — What It’s Really Like
The ups and downs of writing for corporate Canada?
I never, ever, like EVER thought I’d work for a bank. Even saying it now sounds insane. And to be fair, I don’t exactly work for the bank. I’m part of the design team for RBC Ventures, which is a newly developed venture hub for RBC.
Either way, I’m a freelancer not just by title, but by personality. I love working with different people and different organizations, creating cool content that help elevate those brands in some meaningful way. The idea that I’d be able to replicate even a fraction of the creativity and freedom I had as a freelancer didn’t seem possible. Not at a bank.
But I must admit that it’s been a lot more fun that I’d imagined and I’ve learned so much that the experience has already been worth it. Our sole task at Ventures is to reimagine the future, your future, our future, and not just as it relates to banking.
Why Did I Do It?
Impact. If I had to sum up why I decided to dedicate myself to joining this team, impact is the first word that comes to mind. As I said earlier, freelancing for me was about a lifestyle. It’s a lifestyle I orchestrated for myself because it fit with everything that was important to me.
I got to spend ridiculous amounts of time with my daughter, chose the projects I wanted to be a part of, and enjoyed going out late on a Tuesday night without worrying about having to be somewhere the next morning. Giving all that up wasn’t an easy decision.
But I did, and although I still kept some of my freelance projects, I’ve been dedicated to making this Ventures thing work. Why? Because of the potential to make a significant difference.
So far, I’ve worked on platforms to help Newcomers adjust to life in Canada. I’ve created content for apps designed for renters and landlords, homeowners, small businesses, young people looking for jobs, the list goes on and on. None of this would’ve been possible in the capacity it exists right now if I wasn’t operating within this type of corporation with infinite amount of resources.
And when I say resources, I’m not just talking about dollars. The people I work with on a daily basis are some of the brightest, talented, most creative people I’ve had the privilege of meeting. They challenge me to be my best everyday and that’s made me a better writer and strategist.
Collaborating and Feedback
Another cool benefit of writing for such a big corporation is that everyone is so willing to give feedback. The picture below is something I put together when we were trying to figure out the name of a product. We had narrowed it down to Fueld and Ownr. What I did was write two stories that we sent out to small business owners (our targets) to see which narrative resonated most.
In the end, we decided to go with Ownr, sans the “e.” What do you think? Which name would you have chosen? Ownr is just a baby. It launched at the end of 2017 and is in full scale mode right now.
I only mention this because it took a team to make this happen. Even though I’m the one who wrote this, we had a team of researchers do their thing to help narrow down these two names, had designers create logos, and marketers figure out the most effective plan of attack in getting Ownr off the ground. All of these are luxuries that just weren’t possible as a freelancer.
Let Me Be Honest
So it wouldn’t be me unless I showed you both sides of the story. And while we’re really pushing to do some incredible things with Ventures, the reality is that we’re still very much tied to the bank. And what that means is that there are restrictions on several aspects of how we operate.
For instance, we definitely try to be agile and move quickly, but often content gets hung up in our legal department. How we say something, it’s risk to the bank’s reputation, whether or not we’re allowed to say something that might be misconstrued as advice are just tip of the iceberg matters that we have to jump through hoops to get cleared.
In that same vein, we are certainly encouraged to be creative and given a fair amount of rope to do so, but again, our ties to the core bank means there is somewhat of a cap to how far we can push. Even as Ventures veer away from the core, everything we do is still technically representative of RBC. As a writer, I always have to keep that in mind.
And this isthe last point I’ll make in regards to any drawbacks. When we first started putting out products and services live, the audience would reach their own presumptions about a product being backed by a large bank. So before we’re even given a chance, we have to work extra hard to prove to anyone engaging with our sites or apps that we have no hidden agenda. We genuinely want to put out great products into the world to help improve people’s lives.
I’ll Be Back
As much as I’m enjoying myself right now, I’m a free spirit. And I know my spirit yearns to be released back into the wild. Till that time comes, my goal is to keep making an impact. And there’s no other place in Canada where the opportunity to do that is as present.
C.R.Y
