By Allen Haynes, Director, Public Relations
Company
Community & Southern Bank (CSB) is one of Georgia’s strongest and fastest growing community banks. CSB operates more than 45 branches in Georgia and Florida and has more than $4.4 billion in assets.
Business Issue
Positioning a bank as a trustworthy community partner – and upstanding financial institution – is a daunting task considering fewer than one in four Americans trust the financial system. But when approached in early 2011 to become the agency of record for Georgia-based Community & Southern Bank (CSB), Duffey rose to the challenge.
Founded in January 2010 in metro Atlanta, CSB has grown to more than $4.4 billion in assets and more than 45 branches across Georgia, including an expansion into Florida. Duffey’s initial task was to align internal and external communications regarding several essential branch combinations – and to keep both team members and customers assured that the most efficient and seamless processes were being implemented during the transition.
After successfully providing PR counsel during this restructuring phase, Duffey was engaged to provide ongoing traditional public relations efforts. CSB’s requirement was two-fold – to both continue elevating its senior management as thought leaders through industry media and to strengthen its claim as the community bank in Georgia.
As CSB continued its growth through the mergers & acquisitions business model, Duffey provided media and community relations support in terms of service/product launches, local philanthropic support and all communications surrounding bank mergers & acquisitions – as well as developing key executives as thought leaders in their respective bank divisions.
Results
After four years and more than 500 million non-multiplied media impressions utilizing a media relations strategy incorporating use of brand journalism, hyper-local event publicity, bylined articles, trend commentary and “fire-side chat” interviews, Duffey secured extensive local and regional media coverage across Georgia, in addition to spotlights in the Wall Street Journal, American Banker, Bank News, ABA Banking Journal, Banking Exchange, Executive Insight and SNL Financial, Mergers & Acquisitions, Washington Times, and others.