The Story of the Bank that’s Builtwell

 Monty Wyne

First Volunteer Bank of Chattanooga was expanding its footprint. They were in the process of buying another well-aligned bank in North Georgia, but they’d reached a crossroads. Their current name, “First Volunteer,” and color palette, were restricting their expansion. And so, the story begins... 

Chapter #1:  The Call from the CEO

Patti Steele, CEO of First Volunteer, reaches out to Maycreate. She shares the internal “Brand Our Bank” effort they’ve conducted in house asking staff, leadership, and board members for possible renaming candidates. Some 120+ are submitted, and 15 contenders are chosen. Brian May, president and executive creative director, and John Wagoner, senior brand strategist and account supervisor, set up an initial meeting with Patti and her renaming team. They share Maycreate’s philosophy and unique rebranding process. They agree to move forward.

Chapter #2:  Discovery Begins... a New Brand Identity is Revealed

Anthony Sims, senior creative director, and John Wagoner begin by conducting an abbreviated discovery session with the Chairman Emeritus, Robert Anderson, and Dody Anderson. That is followed by a full, 7-hour, in-person brand discovery session with 28 of First Volunteer’s leadership team and the team from First Bank in Dalton and Calhoun, GA. 

Following the discovery sessions, our team utilizes the notes and insights from both to develop the New Bank brand platform. A platform that defines the purpose, promise, pillars, and brand personality, as well as the unfair competitive advantages, the specific reasons to believe, and the individual personas of our target audience. These valuable facts will determine the basis for the bank’s new name and its unique brand identity.

Chapter #3:  Presentation, Greenlight...The Search Takes Wing

Our next step? We set up a meeting with our client and her renaming team. The new  brand platform is presented to them, and we secure preliminary approval. With their greenlight, the entire agency comes together to begin a bank renaming exercise using the new Brand Platform as our guide.

The agency team, led by Brian, Anthony, and John, generates, and evaluates hundreds of names. Following three rounds of internal review, we prepare our short list of potential names. There’s one that stands out from the rest, Builtwell. It speaks to the bank’s new brand promise and paves a path of commitment, integrity, and strength going forward. 

Chapter #4:  Decisions, Decisions and....“A New Name is Born”

After vetting each of our finalists, we conduct a USTPO for trademark clearance and secure Domain availability for a URL. From there, we make our initial presentation to Patti and her renaming team. There’s an immediate connection with “Builtwell Bank.” Our client would like the larger leadership group to review it. Maycreate’s short list is circulated among members of the group without any brand context or reference, and “Builtwell” is the top contender.

Before a final decision is made, Patti asks us to share the presentation with her senior leadership team, making them part of the selection and decision process. She asks us to include the full brand context behind the names. The presentation is made, and it’s unanimous. They select “Builtwell.” 

Brand platform and the new name are presented to all the bank’s relationship managers and some 200+ staff. To ensure that stakeholders and customers are in the loop, quick-reference tri-fold cards are created to answer any questions and explain the “why” behind the rebrand. 

Chapter #5:  The Final Leg.... Campaign Launched, All is “Well”

For the final leg of our rebranding and naming journey, Maycreate’s entire creative team, designs, writes, and produces window clings, ask me stickers, ATM signage, and table-top explainers. In June of this year, a teaser campaign is launched in all five of their markets through outdoor and digital display advertising. The display ads are linked to a manifesto page about what a community bank should be: “Well-built banks are the basis for well-built communities.” Finally, this past August the reveal of the new name is made on both outdoor and digital. “Well Built Communities start with Well Built Banks. Builtwell Bank.”

Like to create a business success story of your own? Get in touch with John Wagoner, Maycreate’s Senior Brand Strategist and Account Supervisor. He’s here to help and can be reached at (423) 634.0123. Maybe it’s time to turn a new page?