Case Study: Rebranding

01 — The Problem

The housing market was booming and Umpqua Bank home lenders were going rogue. 

They believed that our in-house creative team took too long to turn around their ad requests, and that the results felt too much like the hyper-friendly consumer banking element of the Umpqua brand, which they felt made them look un-serious next to their competitors. 

Frustrated, they started making their own ads. This is a problem anywhere. It’s a HUGE problem in a federally regulated industry where ads need Compliance and Legal review.  

02 — The Tension

Marketing offered a rebrand. As Brand Voice Manager, I was on point for copy. 

I saw how to solve all three problems — brand, speed and compliance — at once. But the first step had nothing to do with copy. 

In a kickoff meeting that started as a venting session for Home Lending leadership, I put their minds at ease by demonstrating that I understood their business needs and recognizing how much revenue they were driving.

03 — The Creative Process

I positioned the loan officer as the hero.

As a former journalist, I interviewed the team and reviewed internal customer data to identify what differentiated us in a market saturated with competition, all selling similar products. Then I did what I do best: Connect brand and business to elevate both. 

Building off the core brand tenets, I created three “strength” personas: Depth of Experience, Product Expertise and Knowledge of the Community.

For each persona, I wrote multiple headlines and body copy — pre-approved by Compliance — with specific customizable spaces for the home loan officer.

04 — The Results

I reduced turnaround from days to minutes.

We created a self-serve system where home lenders could pick their persona, choose from multiple headlines/copy blocks in that persona and customize their spaces for quick Compliance approval. 

Rogue ads immediate dropped to zero. More ads were getting into the market. Those ads spoke to Umpqua’s differentiation in a brand-right tone for the situation. Best of all, we turned a skeptical team into a trusted partner.