One Bank of Tennessee

125 actual human years without ever running a single paid ad. Then in 2023, the folks at One Bank were ready for their very first brand campaign. Ever.

One Bank of Tennessee had thrived for more than a century without advertising, but that momentum couldn't last forever. After all, their customer base wasn't getting any younger. So naturally, they wanted to primarily target Millennial and Gen-Z consumers.

The campaign had to accomplish two things:
1) Promote awareness and recognition (the new, younger audience had no idea One Bank even existed), and
2) Recognize that younger folks just really don't want to come to your physical bank location. Like, ever, if they can help it. So, we needed to focus on all the ways One Bank was using technology to make banking more convenient.

When I discovered a smart, extremely ownable messaging device that would let me highlight the name in every headline, I ran with that.

Because one of the big problems with advertising for banks is that they can all feel interchangeable. Take this logo off, slap a different one on, and the ad still works just as well. But this unique headline mechanic, along with friendly imagery and big, bold type, ensured that these ads could only ever be for one bank: One Bank.