Member Benefits: New Look, Expanding Values

Since it was founded in 1930, ICBA has changed and evolved to better serve the community banking industry. That has meant establishing new services, honing different areas of expertise and building a strong community banker network. 

The association’s impact has only continued to grow, reaching community bankers across the country. That’s why ICBA launched a rebrand: to make clear all that makes up the ICBA value proposition while projecting the uniqueness and differentiation of the community banking business model. 

Last month, ICBA unveiled its new brand, which depicts how it shows up for the community banking industry. 

“It’s been a long journey,” says Jana Jurukovska, senior vice president of marketing and creative director for ICBA, “but it’s one that is positioning ICBA to continue to grow and thrive as it has been in a way that’s more intentional, directional and powerful for the organization.”

As part of the rebrand, ICBA’s colors, images, messaging and more have changed, but the updated brand guidelines serve more than an aesthetic purpose. The new look showcases how vibrant, bright and bold ICBA and its members are.

“This is not just a new logo; this is how we’re repositioning ourselves, how we’re making ourselves up and proof of the embrace of this more master brand-centric architecture,” says Rob Birgfeld, executive vice president and chief marketing officer for ICBA. “It’s this idea that ICBA is putting its arm around the things it’s proud of.”

How the new brand began

According to Jurukovska, what started as an exploration of brand equity and how well ICBA members know the brand and its subsidiaries became a discussion of how ICBA as a whole fits together and has grown organically over time.

Advocacy was the primary focus of ICBA when it was founded—and remains vital to it today—but the organization has established many other products, services and subsidiaries since then. 

“We’ve never repositioned how we talk about what we offer and how we show up,” notes Jurukovska. “This [rebranding] is our chance to really bring it all together, in the perfect timing to really stand out in the world.” 

ICBA’s reinvigorated pillars

When Rebeca Romero Rainey became president and CEO of ICBA in 2018, she made it a point to clarify that ICBA’s three pillars—advocacy, education and innovation—all stood equal to one another. 

Here’s a quick refresher on what each pillar represents:

Advocacy: Community banks play a vital role in both their communities and Main Street America. ICBA helps amplify the voices and concerns of the industry through public communication, engaging with policymakers and more.

Education: Through ICBA Education—formerly known as Community Banker University—ICBA provides community bankers with the professional development and learning tools they need to advance their careers and the industry as a whole.

Innovation: ICBA believes that innovative strategies and partnerships, including fintechs through ICBA’s ThinkTECH Accelerator, empower community banks to find creative solutions to advance the industry.

“The purpose of elevating these pillars and showcasing these pillars is to provide this level of clarity to all the things that we do in terms of properly articulating the vast amount of products and services that we offer,” Birgfeld says.

An organization with distinction

The rebrand serves as a key differentiator for ICBA, Birgfeld says. It provides an opportunity for its identity to match its goals and values.

“We want to make it clear to community bankers that the reputation we are building, the brand that we’re building, is around powering the potential of community banks and their communities,” he says. “It’s all about the community bankers and helping them stand out.

He continues: “We are a reflection of who they are, and this rebranding is in support of that.”