We began with our Brand Immersion process with Independence Bank of Georgia to gain a better understanding of the entire business and how customers perceived the brand. We were able to see that the brand felt outdated and didn’t immediately reflect the unique experience the team at Independence Bank of Georgia offered its customers, as well as that the bank didn’t feel as approachable as other competitors. We learned about the bank’s emphasis on community involvement and began looking for opportunities to make that better know within the organization and its customer base.

Upon completing Brand Immersion, we made some recommendations to help the brand reflect the bank’s culture and brand experience, including using the name “Ibankga” in its marketing efforts. The shortened name was approachable, more attractive to customers, and sounded more modern. This was already the bank’s domain, but Ibankga was only used internally. We were able to help the bank feel more confident in making this shift to using the name Ibankga in a more public way through its public website address and marketing materials.

We also built customer profiles as we learned more about Ibankga’s current customer base. The customer profiles were essential for ensuring branding and marketing goals would reach the right audiences. We also learned the tone and language the leadership team was using so we could collaborate on creating more engaging website copy, marketing collateral, and social media content to help emphasize to customers why Ibankga was the right bank for them.

We then moved to creating a new website for the bank. We wanted to make sure the website would have an impact on current and prospective customers, so we made design and content choices that would help them better engage with the new site. This included simplifying the online banking process and adding a deeper level of branding to be a more true reflection of the organization.

We also developed Brand Identity Standards & Guidelines for the team at Ibankga to use in future marketing efforts and launched the new website while the bank’s team took over the implementation of the new branding campaign. Moving forward, we provided creative support for stationery, brochures, ad campaigns, signage, and more.

With community involvement as an important core value for Ibankga, we worked with the bank to develop the Denim and Donate campaign. Each month on Fridays, employees were allowed to wear denim by donating to the cause of the month. Customers were encouraged to donate to the monthly cause as well. From collecting school supplies to bake sales benefitting local charities, Ibankga was connecting to the community in a visual and impactful way.

While Ibankga initially set out to refresh the brand as a way to better connect with its audiences, it ultimately helped the bank position itself for a merger. In 2016, Ibankga merged with Pinnacle Bank.

Project Summary:

• • Independence Bank of Georgia needed a branding facelift to better connect and engage with its current audience while also capturing the attention of potential customers between its locations in Braselton and Gainesville, Georgia.

• • We began with our Brand Immersion process to learn about and experience the bank’s brand for ourselves and learn how customers and prospects perceive the brand, making note of disconnects and opportunities to improve the brand and emphasize what makes this community bank unlike others in the area.

• • We recommended and implemented changes to shift the bank’s positioning and help make the overall brand feel more modern, approachable, and attractive. This was reflected in a new website that helped customers better engage with the brand on a different level and simplified online banking processes, as well as showcasing the bank’s community involvement to create stronger connections with employees and customers alike with the Denim and Donate campaign.

• • Brand Identity Standards & Guidelines were created to ensure all future marketing efforts by Independence Bank’s internal marketing team represented the brand consistently, while we provided creative support for ongoing marketing collateral needs.

• • The cumulative collaborative efforts helped position Ibankga for a merger with Pinnacle Bank in late 2016.