Longtime B2 client USAmeriBank recently unveiled a refreshed look, emphasizing its personal service and local expertise with a new logo, signage and website. At the same time, its Alabama operation, Aliant Bank, rebranded and changed its name to the USAmeriBank brand.
Working closely with the marketing team in Florida and Alabama, along with the bank’s creative partner for the project, United Landmark Associates, B2 coordinated a successful announcement that resulted in positive media coverage in both states.
The key to a successful announcement like this is planning. We created a plan that delineated each audience, then laid out what communications materials the bank would need, along with a timeline for when each communication would go out.
B2 started by developing overall messaging and talking points with the marketing team, as these key messages would guide all subsequent communications with the bank’s employees, customers and the media.
We then drafted letters and emails for the bank’s leadership to distribute to customers and employees. It was important that these communications went out prior to the media announcement, because in Alabama, we didn’t want customers finding out that their bank was changing its name by reading the paper, watching TV news or seeing a new sign go up. We wanted customers to hear directly from the bank that nothing would change in how they conduct business with the bank.
On the external side, we drafted a news release for each of the bank’s markets – Tampa Bay, Birmingham, Montgomery, Auburn and Alexander City – including a quote from the local area executive. A few days after the announcement was made to customers, the releases went out to the news media and the new website and signage went up.
Overall, the rebranding announcement went smoothly and we generated a number of positive media stories in such publications as the Tampa Bay Business Journal, Birmingham Business Journal, Business Observer, Montgomery Advertiser, Alexander City Outlook, and SNL.com.