Country Bank Receives Two Marketing Awards

WARE — Country Bank announced it has received two marketing awards from the New England Financial Marketing Assoc. for its 2022 marketing efforts.

Country Bank achieved first place with a gold award for its “Made to Make a Difference” rebrand. In May 2022, Country Bank introduced the rebrand in partnership with the bank’s advertising agency, Financial Marketing Solutions. The new tagline was created from focus groups that consisted of Country Bank team members, board members, consumer and business customers, non-customers, and community nonprofits throughout the bank’s marketplace.

Since 1850, Country Bank has been a part of the fabric of the communities it serves, so it was deemed essential to include the community in the process. The common theme of how the bank makes a difference became a clear indicator of how its stakeholders received the brand in the market.

“The introduction of the tagline ‘Made to Make a Difference’ has accomplished outstanding results in the past year,” said Shelley Regin, senior vice president of Marketing and Public Relations at Country Bank. “Our team, communities, and customers have embraced the new tagline wholeheartedly. Team members are essential to any brand’s success, and ours has undoubtedly made a difference through the rebrand. Our team truly believes that we are here to make a difference for our customers, communities, and one another. With the team embracing the new tagline, we saw our social-media engagement increase by 60%, followers by 40%, and volunteerism by 124% in seven months. The brand has been positively impacted in many ways, and it is exciting to witness the team’s engagement and the brand’s growth.”

In addition, the bank received a silver award for its Police vs. Fire Baseball Game in association with the WooSox Foundation. This game was a century-old tradition brought back to life on Sept. 26, 2022. Part of the game is giving back to the community, something the WooSox Foundation and Country Bank are passionate about. The teams chose the Manny 267 Foundation, which received a $15,000 donation.

“As a founding partner of the Worcester Red Sox, we are honored to bring back this tradition and support the police and fire departments in Worcester,” Regin said. “It was a tremendous effort of the WooSox Foundation, the police and fire departments, and the Country Bank marketing team to make this happen. We look forward to the rematch this August, where the teams will again battle for the trophy and bragging rights. The game will also donate to a deserving local nonprofit.”