The American Bankers Association (ABA), the preeminent industry trade group representing the U.S. banking industry, has launched a compelling new brand platform with the help of corporate branding and marketing communications firm DeSantis Breindel. The new brand is anchored by the concept of being a champion for the industry – a relentless fighter for members and their customers and a unique resource for training, information and product support. The ABA’s members have been under intense pressure following the 2008 collapse of the sub-prime mortgage market and the subsequent recession. While the need for a powerful and consistent voice in Washington has never been greater, an industry-wide focus on cost-cutting has hurt the ABA’s member recruitment and retention efforts,
“Defining and communicating its brand at this key inflection point will enable the ABA to emerge even stronger than before, with renewed appreciation among all key members of its unique value,” said Howard Breindel, Co-Founder and Partner at DeSantis Breindel. The B2B-focused agency specializes in helping companies at critical moments of change leverage smart branding strategy and marketing communications to realize their full business potential.
Another key goal of the rebranding was to forge stronger ties between the ABA and its numerous sub-brands, many of which have distinct identities that are only loosely associated with the ABA itself. “Despite its high visibility, the ABA has never effectively built a connection between the organization and its multiple sub-brands. The result is that members do not fully appreciate the breadth of its offering,” said Dru DeSantis, Co-Founder and Partner at DeSantis Breindel. “By recommending a master brand architecture as part over our overall strategy and design work, we ensured that the new ABA brand will encapsulate the value of these sub-offerings and create a framework for communicating their importance to members and prospective members.”
The new brand is reflected in a new corporate identity program and design language standards developed by DeSantis Breindel. In addition, the brand has been deployed through an internal branding campaign, print literature, print and online advertising, an HTML email campaign and a new website.
About American Bankers Association
The American Bankers Association brings together banks of all sizes and charters into one association. Its mission is to serve members by enhancing the role of financial services institutions as the preeminent providers of financial services. ABA works to enhance the competiveness of the nation’s banking industry and strengthen America’s economy and communities. Its members – the majority of which are banks with less than $125 million in assets – represent over 95% of the industry’s $13.6 trillion in assets and employ over 2 million men and women. To learn more go to www.aba.com