When PostBank Uganda became Pearl Bank, the challenge extended beyond introducing a new name and visual identity. The bank had to ensure customers understood what the change meant for their accounts, deposits, loans and everyday banking services, while maintaining confidence in an institution they already knew. That communication challenge has earned Pearl Bank the inaugural PR Crown Jewel Award at the 10th Public Relations Association of Uganda (PRAU) Excellence Awards, alongside three Gold awards and a Silver recognition.
The awards, held at the Source of the Nile Hotel in Jinja on October 23, 2026, formed part of PRAU’s Golden Jubilee celebrations marking 50 years of public relations practice in Uganda. The Crown Jewel distinction, introduced for the anniversary, is a judges’ choice award that does not require a formal entry. Pearl Bank became its first recipient following an assessment of submissions across the awards, with judges recognising its rebranding journey and evidence-based approach to communication.
For the bank, the transition presented a practical communications test: how to introduce a new identity without creating uncertainty about the financial services customers relied on.
Customers needed clear answers about their account numbers, balances, loans, cards and deposits. In banking, uncertainty surrounding such matters can quickly undermine confidence, particularly when rumours circulate faster than verified information. Pearl Bank’s media relations strategy therefore focused on making accurate information easier to find, using media engagement, leadership interviews and consistent messaging to address concerns throughout the transition.
The approach produced measurable growth in media visibility. Figures submitted in the bank’s awards entry show that coverage increased from 353 stories in 2024 to 498 in 2025, a rise of approximately 41 per cent. Its share of voice in banking coverage reached 10.2 per cent in 2025 and 12 per cent in 2026, when its ranking improved to second.
While these figures measure media presence rather than customer confidence directly, they provide an indication of the bank’s efforts to sustain public visibility and communicate consistently as it established its new identity.
Pearl Bank also recognised that customers’ experience of the rebrand would depend on what they heard when they interacted with its employees. Through the “We Are the Pearl” campaign, staff across branches and service points received information about the transition and were encouraged to become ambassadors of the new identity. The campaign earned the bank a Silver award in the Culture Champions category.
The initiative connected external communication with the everyday customer experience. Media interviews and public announcements could explain the change, but employees needed to understand it well enough to respond to questions and provide consistent information. Bringing staff into the process helped the bank extend its messaging beyond formal announcements to the people customers encountered when seeking banking services.
The strategy was captured in the bank’s Corporate Storytellers campaign, “The Trust Transition: The Name Changed. The Trust Didn’t.” Rather than presenting the rebrand as a complete break with the past, the campaign emphasised continuity in customer relationships and services.
Pearl Bank Head of Marketing and Communications Priscilla Akora said the recognition came at a significant point for the institution, which had recently marked one year since its transition from PostBank Uganda.
“Communication is not just about publicity,” Akora said, describing it as a strategic function through which organisations engage stakeholders and deliver the right messages to their audiences.
“For Pearl Bank, it was about communicating the transition to its new identity and how this was aimed at fostering prosperity for Ugandans,” she added.
The bank’s purpose, “To Foster Prosperity for Ugandans,” also informs its wider campaign, “When You Grow, Uganda Prospers.” Connecting the rebrand to this purpose gave the new identity a broader meaning beyond a change of name, positioning it within the bank’s stated ambition to contribute to the economic progress of its customers and the country.
The awards also recognised Pearl Bank’s communication work beyond brand management. Through a partnership with the Joint Clinical Research Centre (JCRC), the bank contributed Shs200 million towards developing Uganda’s bone marrow transplant capacity and supported public engagement aimed at mobilising additional contributions. The initiative earned Gold in the Impact Beyond Profit category.
Together with the Gold awards in Media Relations and Corporate Storytellers, the social impact recognition illustrated the range of work considered in the bank’s submissions. Its fourth major distinction was the inaugural PR Crown Jewel Award, while the Silver award recognised its employee engagement campaign.
Speaking at the ceremony, Chief Guest Owek. Alhaji Osman Noor Ahmed, the Second Deputy Prime Minister of Obwa Kyabazinga Bwa Busoga, commended the award winners and participants for championing public relations excellence. He also congratulated PRAU on its 50th anniversary, recognising the role of strategic communication in influencing policy, shaping narratives, preserving culture and promoting socio-economic development.
His remarks reflected the broader significance of the awards, which were held under the theme “Celebrating 50 Years of Professional Excellence, Shaping the Future of Public Relations.”
For Pearl Bank, the recognition comes as businesses increasingly face the challenge of communicating organisational changes to customers, employees, regulators and the wider public. Its experience illustrates why rebranding a financial institution requires more than a new visual identity: stakeholders need to understand what is changing, what remains the same and how the transition affects them.
The bank’s results point to a coordinated approach built around media engagement, internal communication and a consistent narrative about continuity. Although media visibility does not, on its own, demonstrate that customer confidence increased, the strategy provides an example of how communication can be organised around the practical concerns that arise during corporate transformation.
A new name can be introduced through a launch campaign, but confidence depends on what customers hear, what employees communicate and how consistently the institution delivers on its commitments. In Pearl Bank’s transition, the central task was to establish a new identity while reassuring customers that their relationship with the bank remained intact. The inaugural PR Crown Jewel Award recognises that effort and places the bank’s rebrand among the notable communications campaigns acknowledged at PRAU’s 50th anniversary.
