How This CIBC Team Set Themselves Apart

What happens when you have a large team with succession intentions, a number of well-established client types, a long history—and no cohesive brand? 

This is the challenge we faced with The Wooding Group, a leading team from Edmonton, Alberta. We needed a solution that would accommodate their complex set of needs, while meeting the bank’s brand standards and regulatory requirements.

Multiple Markets, Multiple Goals

Much like the families they work with, The Wooding Group consists of a dynamic group of individuals with a complex set of interrelated goals. 

They have complementary areas of expertise, so they are serving a number of client types without diluting their service down to a generalist approach. This was something we wanted to capture, so we identified a central story and some common-tread themes to tie the brand together. We then developed collateral dedicated to each natural market—including multigenerational families, business owners and US citizens living in Canada—so that the team would have relevant prospecting material as they pursued new business. 

Distinction in the Bank Environment

This was a group that was leveraging bank resources in order to provide the depth and breadth of services their clients needed, but they were also an individualistic team with their own story.

The core brand themes that we established helped The Wooding Group position themselves as a one-of-a-kind advisory whose relationship with the bank was just one of the many advantages they offered their clients. 

With original photography, custom logo design and tailored content, we were able to meet CIBC brand standards while creating an overall look and feel that was instantly distinguishable from generic corporate collateral.

The Future of the Team

The Wooding Group is ultimately a family business, and the more senior members of that family have been looking to start shifting some of their responsibilities to those who will be leading the team in the years to come. 

With this in mind, we worked to establish a core brand that could be carried forward as the team grows and develops. Younger team members are featured prominently, and themes of legacy and longevity help reinforce the sense of continuity that their long-standing clients associate with them.

We also included collateral that would help newer members of the team to take the reins with respect to prospecting, client onboarding, and navigating the client process.

Once their repositioned brand is ready to launch, the Wooding Group will have many of the tools they will need to pursue their growth goals within various markets, progress their succession plans and present the full value of what they do.