SunTrust
banks aren’t exactly known
for being an inspiration
“I’d rather have a root canal”
(Over 70% of millennials would rather visit the dentist than the bank.)
So when the CMO of SunTrust asked us to help her articulate her vision of shifting perception—and create a way to stand out (for doing good)—we knew we had our work cut out for us.
Luckily, the people at the bank were REALLY great—and really smart.
Working with a fantastic agency called Brighthouse (we ❤️ them), the bank was already digging deep into the problems they could help solve.
They just needed a way to articulate it ALL …
so we helped them find the words
but that was just the beginning
Because now we had to figure out the bank’s core narrative strategy to align its teams toward a new vision…
so we dug deeper
Getting super duper clear so we could create guidelines that internal teams and external agencies could use to stay true to the narrative …
Easy peasy road to strategic narrative
Snapshots from the Brand Voice Guidelines
Sue Mallino, CCO & SVP
“I have never in my history of working with executives received as rave a review as I did just now from our CMO on this brand voice guide.”
(they liked it! they really liked it!)
we then designed interactive workshops to train 200+ peeps
Complete with this kickoff video we surprised (and yes, delighted) SunTrust teams with.
In fact, the C-Suite liked the video so much, they used it as the introduction to their company-wide virtual training program (which we also helped develop).
With the voice in play, we provided narrative consultancy on the bank’s first ever Super Bowl commercial
(Produced by Strawberry Frog)
but wait there’s more
We also helped shape the narrative strategy for the bank’s internal purpose ambassador and culture programs, together with our friends at Archetype.
Aaaand led a kickass (if we do say so) internal inspiration ‘newsletter’ that had over 30% open and engagement rates …
Plus led creative and editorial direction for a series of campaigns, from the onUp Stadium interactive experience, to print and digital marketing materials.
Turns out that standing for something—and expressing it well—stands out.
The bank got some great results from this whole shebang
Ambassadors 11% more engaged at work
5M members joined the bank’s onUp movement
Gained new client accounts after years of decline
81% of clients more likely to refer others to bank with SunTrust
and while we can’t take credit for all that came out of this giant collaborative, cross-agency effort…
We can tell you how we left the client
feeling about our work …
Susan Somersille Johnson, CMO
“you make magic happen with words.
You brought our Brand Voice Guide to life, which gave us powerful tools to not only connect with our clients, but to build meaningful, lasting relationships.
That's key in helping us build brand equity and drive business growth.
But even more than that, your energy and thought-provoking questions inspire us to think more creatively and drive better results!”
Financial stress is still impacting millions of Americans and billions of people worldwide. We haven’t cracked that problem yet (if you have ideas, let’s talk), but with 5M people now part of a movement inspiring greater financial confidence, we can say the future is looking a little brighter …
And if you look around, it seems like more institutions are standing up for wellbeing, financial and otherwise.
Because sometimes good things spread.
(Next up, can banks cover our dental costs too pretty please?!)