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.

Read the full show transcript.

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Meet the Host

Patrick Pacheco, Executive Vice President, Trust Executive, has more than 25 years’ experience in wealth management, in addition to the designing and implementation of tax and related planning strategies.

Pacheco’s background includes years of legal practice and multiple degrees, including an LLM* Taxation from University of Houston, a JD from Southern Methodist University, and both an MBA and BS in Economics from University of Texas at Arlington.

He is also board certified in Estate Planning and Probate law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.

Meet the Speakers

James D. Rollins III is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Cadence Bank. He has served as Chairman of the Board since April 2014 and Chief Executive Officer since November 2012. Prior to that, he served as president and Chief Operating Officer of Prosperity Bancshares, Inc., headquartered in Houston, Texas, and director of Prosperity Bancshares from 2006 to 2012. Mr. Rollins served as Senior Vice President of Prosperity Bancshares from 2001 until 2006 and became President of Prosperity Bank in 2005. He served as Executive Vice President of Prosperity Bank from 2002 to 2004 and President of the Matagorda Banking Centers of Prosperity Bank from 1994 to 2002. From 1983 to 1994, Mr. Rollins worked for First State Bank and Trust Company in Port Lavaca and Bay City, Texas.

Jackie Hooper is the Chief Marketing Officer of Cadence Bank, a leading regional banking franchise with approximately $50 billion in assets and nearly 400 branch locations across the South and Texas. She has served at Cadence and its predecessors since October 2018 and is responsible for all marketing initiatives and functions for the company. From 2021 - 2022, she led the company-wide initiative to develop and launch the new Cadence brand.

Ms. Hooper has more than 20 years of marketing experience in the financial services industry. Prior to joining Cadence, she worked at Regions Bank, First Horizon Bank and Mountain Commerce Bank, where she held several leadership positions, including director of marketing, marketing strategist, regional marketing manager, senior advertising manager and media strategist. She has a proven track record of success leading company-wide consumer, business and commercial marketing initiatives.

Ms. Hooper earned a Master of Business Administration from East Tennessee State University and a Bachelor of Business Administration from The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. She is actively involved in her local community as an advocate and supporter of organizations and individuals with special needs.

Andrew Bogucki, Senior Partner, Creative Director

For the past 25 years Andrew has worked with, and learned from, tremendous creative teams and game-changing organizations such as Mastercard, TIAA, Broadview, Cadence Bank, Catalent, APM Terminals, Storylines, Scholastic, Gore, Cisco, Collins Aerospace, Cotiviti, Hofseth BioCare, Voyager Sopris Learning, Sonepar, Sourcewell, and The Hartford, among many others.

He directs creative activities for Tenet Partners, calling on his years of experience to develop world-class design and identity systems for clients of all shapes and sizes. Guided by the principle that brand identity needs to help create engaging, impactful and connected experiences across all audience touch points, Andrew and his team employ the principles of system design across traditional, digital and environmental media.

A keen strategic thinker as well as gifted designer, Andrew has authored articles and commentary that have appeared in numerous design and business publications, and contributed to business books including "The Best of Branding" and "Branding Across Borders.”

Beth Flom, Senior Partner, Strategy

Beth brings nearly 30-years of experience branding, defining and re-defining organizations of all sizes and sectors. As a brand researcher and strategist, she is involved in the creation and implementation of strategy, corporate identity and communications programs for such companies as Cadence Bank, Edwards Lifesciences, Long Beach Airport, Mastercard, Gore and CME Group, to name a few.

Currently the head of research and strategy for Tenet Partners, a New York-headquartered brand innovation firm, Beth previously was managing partner and co-founder of Flag + Company and served as a senior director at The Delve Group. A graduate of Washington University in St Louis with an MBA from the Leonard N. Stern School of Business at New York University, Beth is also a published author and experienced lecturer.

This podcast is provided as a free service to you and is for general informational purposes only. Cadence Bank and its affiliates make no representations or warranties as to the accuracy, completeness, or timeliness of the content in the podcast. The podcast is not intended to provide legal, accounting or tax advice and should not be relied upon for such purposes.

To the extent that this podcast includes predictions about the economy, these predictions are subject to a number of variables and you should confer with your legal, accounting and tax advisors for their input regarding the possible outcomes of any economic subject matter discussed herein. Predictions are forward-looking statements that reflect current views with respect to, among other things, future events. Forward-looking statements are not historical facts, and are based on current expectations, estimates and projections, many of which, by their nature, are inherently uncertain and beyond the control of any person or entity. Accordingly, please be aware that any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees and are subject to risks, assumptions and uncertainties that are difficult to predict.

The views and opinions expressed by the host and guests in this podcast are solely their own current opinions regarding the subject matter discussed in the podcast and are based on their own perspectives. Such views, perspectives and opinions do not reflect those of Cadence Bank or any of its affiliates, or the companies with which any guest is, or may be, affiliated. The production and presentation of this podcast by Cadence Bank does not imply the expression of any opinion on the part of Cadence Bank or any of its affiliates.