Exploring the Key Elements of U Bank's Brand Workshop

At UBank, we're PROUD of our brand because it's so much more than just our logo... UBank is on a mission to make sure every customer feels KNOWN, VALUED, and EMPOWERED by their bank! To make this dream a reality, we hosted an internal brand workshops for all employees where we discussed who UBank is, what we stand for, and where we're going.

Workshop led by Joe Evarts (Chief Digital & Experience Officer) and Morgan De Paoli (Brand Manager). 

What is a Brand Workshop?

1. Why did we hosting a brand workshop?

Because we want to give our team the tools they need to feel confident in our brand's mission/purpose so we can better serve your customers and local community! At UBank, we like to dream big... so to get where we want to go long-term, it takes everyone working toward the same shared goal - so this workshop ensures that we all have the same understanding of UBank's core mission, vision, and values. We hosted an abbreviated version of the training in April during our Product Discovery Session, and the group had such positive response that it was clear we needed to do a fully comprehensive workshop for everyone!

2. What is a "brand workshop?" What will I learn? 

We've chosen to call this a "Workshop" and not a "Training" because it's DEEPER than just a learning a set of skills - this workshop is all about WHY we do what we do. We didn't just discuss who UBank is a brand, but we talked about the nuts and bolts of relationship building. This includes things like the power of listening and truly seeing our customers, the importance of intentional conversations, etc. The session will was highly interactive, so our team came ready to dig into the material with each other, ask questions, etc. 

3. Why should everyone care about branding (not just those in marketing)?

Our brand is so much more than our logo and colors. UBank's brand mission is our North Star, permeating every decision we make, every touch point with a customer, and every interaction we have with our coworkers. In reality, every one of our team members is living out UBank's mission, vision, and values on a daily basis - and that has WAY more impact on people than our logo... people bank with PEOPLE! 

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What did our team learn?

Because UBank is a relationship bank that leads with our humanity, we did the same thing in our Brand Workshop! This 3-hour session was all about connection our brand with each and every person in the room. While we could talk your ear off about the UBank brand and how we interact with our customres, here are some of the highlights of what our teams discussed:

1. The Importance of 'Why' - Before diving into the UBank brand, we developed a shared understanding of the role that knowing our 'why' plays in the overall success of our company. To quote Simon Sinek, "people don't buy WHAT you do, they buy WHY you do it." This concept was foundational to the workshop because it centered us around a unified goal - to understand the 'why' behind the UBank brand.
   
   
2. UBank's Brand DNA - During this portion of the session, we did a deep dive in to the mission, vision, and values of our brand. This is what makes UBank, UBank. 
   
   
3. UBank's Brand Role Of The Wingman - At UBank, we strive to be a wingman for our customers! We’re your go-to. The one you can always depend on to make things happen and have a good time doing it! As your trusted partner and friend, there's nothing we can't tackle together!
   
   
4. UBank's Brand Energy - Make It Happen! At UBank, we're here to make it happen for ourselves, our teams, and our customers. We're a bank that takes action to find creative ways to solve problems for our much-loved customers. We're not a sleepy community bank, we're a force that's looking to grow with the changing times. 
   
   
5. The Power Of Listening & Seeing - "Listening is not hearing the words that are spoken, it's making sure the other person feels heard" - Simon Sinek. At UBank, we take pride in KNOWING our customers on a personal level so we can help them reach their goals and live their greatest ambitions, in both their personal lives and businesses.
   
   
6. Having Intentional Conversations - Our teams strive to take relationships to a new level with our customers, i.e. we want to talk about more than just the weather. Joe talked through some helpful conversation starters that we can use to better engage with our customers! 

Closing Commitments

Since our brand premeates everything we do, our teams took time to figure out what parts of the session resonated most with them! In order to make our big dreams a reality, we need EVERYONE in our organization working toward the same goals, and that means they need to be meaningful to every team member. Shana De Paoli, CEO, ended the session by talking through what the UBank brand means to her, and then gave everyone time to reflect on what they wanted to take home from the session.