Country Bank campaign.

AWARD ABAMN 2003 AD Awards Contest

Institution: Country Bank for Savings, Ware, Mass. Assets: $948 million, 11 locations. Agency: Pannos & Skeffington Marketing, Bedford, N.H.

The bank started by redesigning its outdoor billboards around the "Our Home Is Your Home" brand image. Later, the theme was extended to product brochures, newsletters, annual report, statement of conditions and website.

The approach involved taking advantage of the marketplace's rural New England setting by utilizing striking landscape photographs of the region. The idea was to portray an image of pride in the community on the bank's behalf and to show visually that the bank enjoyed being part of the area, with all it has to offer, says Jim Pannos of the agency, Pannos & Skeffington Marketing.

The hope was that the customers would identify the images--and the feelings they conveyed--with Country Bank itself.