WASHINGTON, D.C. — Start with the right question. That was alarge piece of advice for financial institution marketers at themorning BAI Retail Delivery keynote on Wednesday.

Jonathan Salem Baskin, a marketing strategist and the openingspeaker, offered the insight that most institutions need “to flipthe telescope,” that is, most start with the wrong question whenthe topic switches to engagement.

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What they ask is: how do we get our customers to engage withus?

The right question, per Baskin, is: how do we engage with ourcustomers? Do that – hunt for real ways to touch lives – and, saidBaskin, financial institutions would find themselves on a very fasttrack to success in engagement.

He added, “What really matters in engagement is purpose. Purposeis a big idea for this decade.” Saying that, he mocked gimmicky,cute “engagement campaigns” – and he flashed slides showingGillette and Kleenex campaigns that, he suggested, did nothing morethan make us smile, briefly.

“Help your customers do stuff and they will engage with you,”said Baskin, who pointed to an Allstate insurance campaign, itsDigital Locker, that lets anybody – customer or not – build anonline record of personal household possessions.

That's invaluable when insuring household goods but, saidBaskin, many of us just don't do it and of course some of us do theinventory in the house that burns down. The Allstate inventory, bycontrast, is cloud based so it has more accessibility from anywhereand won't be impacted by local storms or home fires.

Does this engagement bring revenues to the company? Data aresketchy, admitted Baskin, but he said whispers are that it is avery successful campaign.

Either way, said Baskin, it proves the point: bring value toconsumers and they will indeed engage. And, he insisted, financialinstitutions are ideally positioned to bring meaningful contacts toconsumers.

Baskin's takeaway: “Customers are more engaged with the brandwhen the brand is more engaged with them