As Hawaii’s oldest and largest financial institution, First Hawaiian Bank has long served as a relationship-focused bank. That means that everything starts with the customer. Instead of offering one-size-fits-all solutions instead, the bank tailors its offerings around individual needs, goals and circumstances.
And that philosophy extends beyond banking products. It also shapes how the bank communicates, engages and builds relationships with customers.
Yet customer expectations are changing. Digital tools are reshaping how people interact with their banks, but adoption isn’t uniform. Some customers want the speed and convenience of online banking, while others prefer the traditional, in-person approach.
And even within a single customer’s life, preferences can shift from digital for everyday transactions to in-person guidance for major financial decisions.
From a marketing standpoint, this presents both a challenge and an opportunity for Bill Weeshoff, executive vice president and chief marketing officer at First Hawaiian Bank.
The bank must continue to evolve how it engages customers, ensuring that messaging aligns with their preferences while staying true to its relationship-driven approach.
This approach is particularly important in a market where fintechs and digital-only banks are raising the bar for speed, convenience and personalisation. Competing effectively requires embracing digital capabilities but only in ways that truly serve customers’ needs.
For Weeshoff, success comes not from following trends, but from making thoughtful choices that balance innovation with trust, relevance and human connection.
Banking that moves with you
As a relationship bank, First Hawaiian Bank prides itself on shaping its services and products to suit the customer, rather than offering off-the-shelf solutions that customers must adapt to.
To achieve this, Weeshoff explains the bank focuses on truly getting to know its customers by understanding their needs, their goals and the challenges they face so it can personalise its services rather than simply presenting products.
“We would rather get to know a customer, understand what their goals and aspirations are, understand what their challenges are, understand the role finance plays in that and then share our services and make recommendations on products that help them grow, thrive and help get through challenges that they’re having,” he says.
The mindset is simple: the bank should either ease pain or create successes. This approach not only strengthens relationships and builds loyalty, but it also allows the bank to grow alongside its customers over time.
Marketing at First Hawaiian Bank also follows the same principle. Much like the bank tailors its services to customers’ individual needs, its communications must also respond to their needs in order to be relevant, effective and designed to create long-term value.
“In terms of how we engage with our customers in our community, we want to make sure that we’re putting more emphasis on life stage moments and real financial moments rather than leading with individual products,” he notes.
This means meeting customers where they are, understanding both their financial needs and how they prefer to engage with the bank whether digitally or in person.
“If you think of somebody early in their life or career and their preferences in terms of how they would engage with the bank, there’s moments when they want to go into branch and have in-person conversations, but the reality is for that segment, the majority of people, from a transaction standpoint would prefer to do as much of it digitally as possible,” he says.
“Whereas if you have somebody that’s more established and has more complex needs, they’re going to need more guidance and advisory-oriented services. There’s a role for digital in that relationship, but that individual may want in-person meetings where they’re sitting down with an advisor, a banker or a team of subject matter experts that are servicing their financial needs a little more holistically.”
However, customer preferences are not static. As people move through life stage moments, the ways they want to engage with the bank can change. Therefore, marketing and engagement strategies must evolve in parallel to ensure that communications remain relevant.
For example, a customer with a digital-first mindset is likely to embrace the convenience of online tools, using them to bank or transact on the go. These tools work particularly well for routine, day-to-day transactions, giving customers the flexibility they value.
However, when that same person is buying their first home, they may need some guidance. While they might not require a full-time banking relationship, they are likely to want to speak with a loan officer who can explain different loan options and help them unpack their finances to understand what they can afford.
The reverse scenario applies to customers who have traditionally preferred in-person relationships but are starting to adopt digital channels.
For instance, a customer with a more established portfolio or more complex financial needs will naturally require more advisory support, which is inherently an in-person interaction.
Yet they may increasingly use digital tools to monitor progress, track their finances and stay informed between in-person meetings.
Smarter tools, better experiences
Building on the bank’s focus on understanding customer needs, Weeshoff says his priority has been improving how First Hawaiian Bank uses data and insights to inform marketing decisions, both digitally and in person.
This approach involves incorporating AI and advanced analytics to better understand customer behaviour, improve targeting and personalisation and increase efficiency, all while maintaining discipline around governance, transparency and brand trust, he explains.
“We’re using technology as a tool to improve and personalise service, to make it relevant, ensure we’re meeting customers where they are, fulfilling expectations and helping them move from life stage to life stage, which goes back to that whole relationship banking perspective,” he says.
He adds that a key part of this is ensuring technology is a tool, not a strategy. This means not using technology for the sake of it but applying it only when it enhances the bank’s relationships with customers and improves the overall experience.
To achieve this, the bank starts at the back end. Weeshoff explains that understanding customers through data allows the bank to personalise services, match products to their needs and anticipate how customers want to bank.
At the same time, the front end focuses on how customers actually interact with technology.
“How are they using technology? How do they want to use it? Do they want a digital budget? A tool in the mobile app? Do they want insights into their spending? Do they want reminders that a bill is due?” he says.
Determining where technology can enhance the experience and strengthen relationships applies not only to digital channels like mobile and online banking but also within branches themselves, he adds. This ensures that tools support, rather than replace, human interaction.
Where technology meets trust
Even as digital tools become more central to banking, Weeshoff emphasises that technology should never replace human connection.
To build strong relationships with customers, especially across different generations, the bank must continue to engage in ways that feel personal and human, even as expectations for digital experiences rise.
“People have relationships with brands that are digital and just because it’s digital doesn’t mean a relationship doesn’t exist,” he says. “The combination of in person and digital, which depends on where you are and how you engage, makes you more digital but still personal.”
That balance between technology and human interaction can enhance the customer experience, creating opportunities to use digital tools in ways that deepen connections.
But embracing digital also brings another challenge: balancing speed and scale with trust.
“Customers are always going to expect more, whether it’s being more personalised in the service or in the products that we’re putting together to suit their needs,” he says.
For example, a customer might start an interaction online, then pick up their kids from school, and later continue the same conversation in a branch, which requires the bank to ensure systems, data and staff are aligned so the experience feels seamless.
Even as customers demand more, Weeshoff stresses that brand trust cannot be compromised. As technology and AI evolve, banks must remain disciplined, responsible and transparent.
They must navigate this balance thoughtfully, guided by strong strategy and leadership.
This is particularly important for Weeshoff’s customers in Hawaii, where authenticity and genuine interactions are highly valued. That is why he focuses on using technology to support customers while always returning to the core goal: deepening relationships by understanding customer pain points, their aspirations and being there to provide solutions along the way.
This focus on seamless, human-centred experiences shows that technology is most effective when it supports – rather than replaces – the personal relationships that define the bank.
By combining digital tools with genuine, in-person engagement and by maintaining discipline, transparency and trust, the bank can meet evolving customer expectations.
Financial marketers and communications leaders who have delivered standout work in the US market are encouraged to enter the Financial Promoter Awards USA 2026, entries open until 10 April.
This story appeared in Issue 15 of the Financial Promoter magazine. To be one of the first to read it, subscribe here: Subscribe – Financial Promoter