By Khalil Garriott
In the modern-day banking environment, one bank’s missed opportunity to fortify a relationship with a commercial client means a gain in revenue for its competition.
Learn how marketing leaders drive revenue growth at the ABA Bank Marketing Conference, Sept. 15-17 in New Orleans. Register at aba.com/bmc.
“Our lenders cultivate deep client relationships, while our marketing team reinforces those connections in the broader community,” says Shanna Cahalane, SVP and director of marketing and community development at Reading Cooperative Bank in Massachusetts. “Together, we create moments and memories that turn customers into advocates and partnerships into lasting legacies.”
The alignment of marketing departments with commercial priorities is a shift that makes dollars and sense.
This shift between brand marketing and product marketing is a noticeable distinction for practitioners doing the everyday work. Marketers should be more product-focused than they traditionally have been.
“Brand awareness is the key to starting revenue generation, then it’s about leveraging the value proposition — our employees and lenders — with proper content to the communities we serve,” says Jan Phalen, CFMP, chief marketing officer at First State Bank in Illinois.
It’s a dynamic that also reflects a change in mindset. Marketers are not in competition with the sales team; they are all on the same team, competing against the competition.
At the ABA Bank Marketing Conference, Sept. 15-17, a session about the role that marketing plays for developing commercial revenue will cover this pertinent topic. Attendees will hear from panelists who have grown deposits through niche communities, repurposed content for thought leadership, and used event dollars for revenue growth.
“While brand is still foundational, marketers today are more involved in understanding how products are delivered, how they fit into the customer journey and how they support broader sales goals,” says Theresa Wendhausen, first VP and director of marketing and communications at First National Bank and Trust in Wisconsin.
Trust, a core principle in banking, is an undercurrent within this trend. As many bank marketers expand their remits to include revenue growth, they should prioritize earning the trust and support of their commercial banker teammates. Same team, same bank, same mission.
Cahalane says, “At our bank, ‘We Show Up’ is more than a motto; it’s a deeply held philosophy that defines how we serve our communities. It unites our commercial lenders, marketers and community development teams in a shared commitment: to support local businesses not just in parallel, but in partnership.”
Showing up for customers, current or prospective, can take the form of small actions like a media mention or an email referral that potentially have big future impacts.
“From client ribbon-cuttings to neighborhood cleanups and cultural celebrations, our commercial lenders and marketers are visibly, actively engaged,” Cahalane says. “This united front amplifies our brand presence — not just as a financial institution, but as a trusted, reliable community partner.”
While lenders provide access to capital, marketers extend that reach, Cahalane notes. With deposit growth top of mind for bank marketers in 2025, customer acquisition sits in the middle of the Venn diagram between marketing teams and sales teams.
“The role marketing plays in developing commercial revenue is vital to the institution,” Phalen says. “We continue to discuss a blueprint for our lenders that includes marketing and the resources we can provide to help reach our collective goals.
“It’s creating an atmosphere that lets [commercial lenders] know we contribute so much more than pens and koozies.”
As marketing shifts to be more heavily involved in revenue growth, traditional brand awareness isn’t waning in importance. Bank marketers have added extra focus areas: product delivery and positioning, customer journey and experience, and broader business outcomes.
“It means stepping back and looking at the full customer experience — from first impression to long-term, ongoing engagement,” says Wendhausen, a faculty member of the ABA Bank Marketing School.
Wendhausen, also an advisory board member of both the Bank Marketing School and Bank Marketing Conference, has noticed a trend of more CMOs also becoming chief revenue officers at banks. It reflects a greater need for cross-functional leadership.
“As marketing becomes more data-informed and integrated into business planning, leaders in this space are being asked to oversee revenue-driving strategies, not just communications,” she observes.
Bank marketers who embrace their department’s holistic view across brand, product and sales — and do it cohesively — are the ones whose banks will deliver results.
“If lending is the bonfire, you need deposits — the wood — and marketing — the accelerant and matches — to make it burn,” Phalen concludes.
