Together Credit Union has earned multiple awards by marketing associations in 2020 for its new brand rollout, which launched November 12, 2019.
Formerly, the credit union was marketing under three brand names, Anheuser-Busch Employees’ Credit Union, American Eagle Credit Union, and Purina Credit Union. After investing months in qualitative and quantitative research, finalized data indicated migrating to a new, single brand name would improve consumer recognition and eliminate field of membership confusion. Together Credit Union was chosen from among more than 2,000 potential brand names, ranking first in all research categories, including emotional connection, relevance, likeability, recall and purchase intent.
The first organization to recognize the new Together Credit Union brand was the Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals (AMCP), one of the largest, oldest, and most respected evaluators of creative work in the marketing and communications industry. Each year, AMCP hosts the Hermes Creative Awards to honor “the messengers and creators of the information revolution.” The Credit Union’s submission packet, “Together Credit Union…Our New Name Says It All” stood out amongst the competitors, earning the Hermes Creative Platinum Award in the “Print Media/Integrated Marketing/Company Branding” category.
The Credit Union also earned three Gold Awards by the Marketing Association of Credit Unions. Competing against credit unions nationwide with $1 billion or greater in assets, Together Credit Union earned the top honors in the categories of Image Enhancement: Public Relations, Rebranding, Brand Awareness, and Financial Education for its submission packet, “We are Together Credit Union”; the Video category for “Together: Rooted in Relationships,” which aided in the launch of the rebrand to employees and market; and the Logo category for “Coming Together.”
While the new brand name is a monumental change for the credit union, it was not the result of a buyout or merger. The new brand name is a strategic action step in the organization’s comprehensive long-range plan to grow and continue building a healthy and sustainable organization serving current, prospective, and future Members. The Credit Union worked with Propaganda, Inc., a St. Louis integrated branding agency, to develop its new brand, logo and launch.