MVB
for Mabus Agency
MVB came to Mabus Agency with basically a stock, any-bank brand. In fact, "MVB" technically stood for nothing. Led by an innovative CEO, MVB needed a total rebrand and a completely new website.
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MVB's new brand needed to appeal to its traditional retail audience of small-town West Virginia as well as its burgeoning mortgage and commercial lending division focused on the outskirts of Washington D.C. — one of the hottest commercial markets in the country.
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As we got to know MVB, they frequently dropped gems that informed our sense of their identity. They weren't lying when they said they were a "Yes, if" bank, not a "No, because" bank. MVB was already using messaging internally to establish a culture of drive and commitment.
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But they needed a tagline that could help them stand out.
Powering Your Potential
Tagline
By any standard, but especially by bank standards, MVB is ballsy. Though the bank originated in the hills of West Virginia, there's nothing "rustic" about them. They are a hard-charging, fast-moving, opportunity-seizing organization.
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They're fearless, whether they're making it happen in the high-stakes world of government contract lending, beating the competition to opportunities in cryptocurrency, online gambling, and CBD, or cleaning up their community after a natural disaster.
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Early on in our discussions, we uncovered MVB's preference of working with clients who are kindred spirits in their bravery and ambition. In a conservative industry, MVB could always look past the risk and weigh the true potential of its clients and itself as a bank.
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Powering Your Potential isn't just a promise. It's a rallying cry. As a tagline, it's versatile enough to fit into almost any context and powerful enough to raise the energy in whatever room it finds itself in.
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MVB's sub-tagline, "Your trusted partner on the financial frontier," evokes the promise of guidance toward opportunity in the unknown, rather than fear. For MVB, it's a hand up from "Powering Your Potential" tagline, answering the question of how MVB powers potential.
Your Website is a Decisioning Tool
Total website build
For a while, banks were really interested in the idea of decisioning tools. Placed on their websites, these tools would ask this-or-that questions to funnel clients toward the most appropriate product for their goals and circumstances.
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The truth is that your entire website functions as a decisioning tool. It should give visitors the hints and waypoints they need to navigate your inventory of products and services, empowering them to self-select the right choices for them.
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But technical financial jargon doesn't do the work of telling customers why one financial product might be more right for them than the next. That's true for something as simple as a checking account.
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In crafting copy for MVB's new site, we wanted to speak in layman's terms to answer the question "Who is this product for?" At the same time, the copy needed to energize customers through MVB's new messaging arsenal.
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I wrote all copy on MVB's site. Click any image above to see the live page.
MVB Brand Video
Scripting & Concepting
The MVB branding project wasn't a mere brand refresh. It was a true, drastic, total rebrand from its prior visual and verbal identity. Such a big change deserves a big unveil.
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We crafted a highly conceptual motion graphics spot to re-introduce MVB as the missing financial engine for consumers and businesses alike.
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This piece embraces the reality that banking is never a goal in itself. No one is thrilled by the act of banking. However, finances underpin every part of life. Having MVB in your corner gives you more power over your finances, thus enriching those other aspects of life.
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This is one of my favorite spots from my time at Mabus Agency, because it doesn't mention a single financial product. Instead, it paints the picture of what life is like when your bank gets it
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I scripted this piece and helped develop the concept and visuals from the storyboarding phase. Click any image above to see the complete video.
New Brand, New Collateral
Banners, brochures, print and digital asset copy
A new brand calls for updated brochures, reports, banners, and all the other collateral banks use on a daily basis.
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Many agency creatives feel like these assets are boring and pedestrian — not me. These pieces are where the rubber meets the road. I enjoy applying a new brand to something that will actually be used. The brand isn't the focal point of these piece's function, but they elevate their function immensely.
Trusted Partners
MVB continues to chase "blue ocean" opportunities in some of the newest, most cutting-edge industries while still remaining solid and familiar to it's core retail banking audience.
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MVB is an example of branding as a reflection of identity, rather than a creation of identity. At Mabus Agency, we often told clients that we don't do a brand to you, but with you. MVB reflects that to a tee.