UBI Banca Group

In 2011, UBI Banca obtained visibility in the Italian press in 8,266 articles, 35.7% of which (2,955
articles) described the Group and its banks in detail, with a readership (an estimate of the number of
people who read these articles) of more than 1.5 billion readers (+30% compared to 2010) 3 .
The percentage of positive articles out of total high standing articles was 17% while negative articles
accounted for 13%. Compared to 2010, the percentage of positive articles fell as did that for negative
articles. The consequent increase in neutral articles is explained by the quantity of articles which
analysed the sector and the huge attention paid by the general media to economic and financial issues,
which were given more space as a result of the crisis in progress.
A total of 67% of the positive articles were dedicated entirely to the UBI Banca Group.
In one of the most complex years in recent times, UBI Banca has demonstrated its ability to
maintain a substantial presence in the national media by means of the following: the
announcement of concrete and “preventative” measures such as the capital increase, which
received international admiration from supervisory and regulatory bodies and from a major
international financial newspaper (Financial Times), which reflected positively on Italy and in
other countries; the presentation of the new business plan to the financial community, which
achieved strong visibility, both nationally and locally; continuous and constant local coverage,
confirmed, amongst other things, by the concrete approach and high standards of quality
acknowledged by the media in relations with families and businesses (with regard above all to
international services and agreements with associations).
Events and sponsorships
In order to enhance its brand and support commercial advertising, as it does every year, UBI
Banca promoted a series of events on its local markets.
It organised a road show in important towns and cities to present the XVI Rapporto Einaudi
(Einaudi report) on the global economy and Italy, the result of a study performed by the
Einaudi Centre and supported by UBI Banca.
In order to present opportunities for internationalisation to businesses, it organised “UBI
International Day” in co-operation with the Sole 24 Ore Group, a two-day event during which
businesses were given the chance to learn from the Group’s international specialists of the
services provided on foreign markets and to study different subjects in specialists workshops.
A tournée was organised with the Accademia del Teatro alla Scala in ten foreign cities where
the UBI Banca Group has a presence, in order to increase foreign visibility on the occasion of
the 150 th anniversary of the Unification of Italy. These events met with great success in local
communities, which acknowledged the Group’s role as a sponsor of prestigious artistic
initiatives.
A series of meetings was organised by the network banks in important towns and centres to
launch the UBI Community service model, dedicated to the third sector, which saw the
involvement of leading protagonists in the nonprofit sector. The cycle of meetings is continuing
in the current year.
Again in order to help promote the UBI Community project, UBI Banca supported the 2011
Sodalitas Social Innovation Award, organised by the Sodalitas Foundation to give visibility to
major nonprofit organisation projects of social value and to illustrate the expected returns of
forprofit-nonprofit partnerships, thereby helping to reduce the distances between the parties
involved.
Important sponsorships again included the partnerships with the Goggi Ski Club in Bergamo
and with the Bergamo international tennis tournament.
A sponsorship of the cycling team TX Active Bianchi also continued. This mountain bike team
is led by Felice Gimondi and is dedicated to the mountain bike and cross country fields and
the sponsorship encourages a sport close to nature out in the fresh air.
Co-operation was renewed in the cultural field with the “Popotus a scuola” project, organised
by the daily newspaper Avvenire. UBI Banca has supported this initiative of the publishing
group for years now. The objective is to help children to read and understand newspapers by
using a specific tool to attract them.
3 Data processed by a company external to the Group.
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