Brand & Culture: A Case Study

Dec 13, 2022

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On our last episode, we explored how to develop a strong brand. But it’s one thing to talk about those principles, and another to put them into practice. So, on this episode, we’ve got a case study in the process of rebranding from a company that just went through it: Cadence Bank. That’s right–us!

In 2021, Cadence Bank officially merged with BancorpSouth Bank, which necessitated a large-scale rebrand to develop a new, shared identity. But while it presented massive opportunity, the branding process was also filled with plenty of challenges. And who better to tell us every detail than the very people who did the hard work? We’re bringing back the voices you heard last episode: our Tenet Partners team of Beth Flom and Andrew Bogucki, as well as Cadence Bank Chief Marketing Officer Jackie Hooper, to take us through every step of the rebranding journey–the difficult decisions, the surprising revelations and the rollout strategy that brought it all together. Plus, we’ll hear from a new guest, someone who had a huge hand in both the decision to rebrand and the culture that guided the process: Cadence Bank Chairman & CEO Dan Rollins.

Through their stories, you’ll hear about the ups and downs of this 18-month journey: how Cadence found the right partner in Tenet, what the research unearthed about their shared values, and the ways that Cadence differentiated from competitors. Plus, the unexpected emotions that accompanied all of it.

So let’s brand together and travel from a back porch in northwest Alabama to the facade of the New York Stock Exchange to discover what can happen in the best-case (study) scenario.

Highlights:

Meet Dan Rollins (2:13)
How the merger focused on culture (3:57)
Why the new Cadence needed to rebrand (5:34)
The opportunity–and scope–of the rebrand (6:31)
What Jackie looked for in a partner (7:57)
The secrets to a great collaboration (8:55)
What the research revealed about culture (10:29)
Creative decisions: how that culture is reflected in the new brand (13:52)
Using sonic branding to differentiate from competitors (17:34)
Rollout of the new brand (19:59)
How customers kept the process in focus (21:54)
Banner reveal at the NYSE (23:45)
Transform Awards recognition (25:27)
Dan on the importance of brand (26:51)

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If you have questions about the show or topics you'd like discussed in future episodes, email our producers, sheena.cochran@cadencebank.com or danielle.kernell@cadencebank.com.