by OTMS Staff | Mar 2, 2026 | Branding, Strategy
On a recent episode of “Banking Transformed,” host Jim Marous interviewed Will Smayda, Head of Financial Centers at Bank of America. Bank of America previously shrank its branch presence from 6,000 branches to 3,700 branches. Now, they are opening 150 new “financial...
by OTMS Staff | Feb 25, 2026 | Branding
Your small business website design shouldn’t look like a digital business card. No – your website is the first place consumers go to decide whether they trust you. According to research, 75% of people judge a company’s credibility based on its website...
by OTMS Staff | Feb 18, 2026 | Branding, Training
Ask any executive to name their best employee, and you get an answer fast. It’s the loan officer who closes the most deals. The teller with perfect transaction accuracy. The wealth advisor who manages the largest portfolios. A lot of productivity...
by OTMS Staff | Feb 11, 2026 | Branding
Your heritage isn’t a bad thing. In fact, you should always “dance with who brought you” in one way or another. Heritage consumers got you where you are, and it would be a mistake to completely abandon them during a strategic rebrand for your business. But sometimes,...
by OTMS Staff | Jan 28, 2026 | Branding
A strong financial services brand, credit union brand or bank brand isn’t built overnight. It’s cultivated through intentional strategy, consistent execution and the occasional reality check. So, when was the last time your financial services brand had a...
by OTMS Staff | Jan 21, 2026 | Branding
Your financial services website design is often the first impression consumers have of your financial organization. And if that first impression involves confusing navigation, outdated stock photos or walls of text? Well, you just sent them straight to your...
by OTMS Staff | Jan 14, 2026 | Branding, Leadership
Remember when a prominent CEO was caught on camera allegedly cheating at a Coldplay concert? Within hours, social media erupted. The incident – seemingly unrelated to business – became headline news that damaged not just the individual’s reputation but raised...
by OTMS Staff | Jan 12, 2026 | Branding, Learning & Development
One of the greatest pitfalls for any organization is assuming something is true when it isn’t. That’s especially accurate for a credit union brand in the current market. Many brands assume they are outperforming competitors, that consumers are happy, that people know...
by OTMS Staff | Dec 23, 2025 | Branding, Case Study
“If you’re looking for someone who has expertise in marketing and promoting your bank, there’s no question in my mind that On The Mark is an excellent choice.” – Dan Price, Community Banking President, Mountain West Bank On The Mark Strategies is a skilled...
by OTMS Staff | Dec 10, 2025 | Branding, Case Study
“On The Mark Strategies has extensive branding expertise while remaining open to our specific needs. They don’t just provide a cookie-cutter solution.” -Sarah Marks, VP of Marketing, Homebase CU On The Mark Strategies performs multiple name changes for its...
by OTMS Staff | Dec 3, 2025 | Branding, Case Study
“On The Mark Strategies has extensive experience in the industry, and even though we are a CUSO, I knew their team would share our values and create a website that aligns with our needs.” – Tim Brooks, VP Marketing, Synergent On The Mark Strategies builds...
by OTMS Staff | Nov 3, 2025 | Branding, Training
What makes a house approachable? Potential visitors to your house don’t always want to reach the front door if things look sketchy. They need a sign first. At night, your porchlight is that sign. And your organization must turn on its proverbial porchlight. You...
by OTMS Staff | Oct 21, 2025 | Branding, Case Study
“I loved the process, and I’ve given your name to others considering name changes. Without the process, we wouldn’t be the success we are today.” -Angela Melle, VP of CU Engagement, Luminate On The Mark Strategies conducts several financial services branding...
by OTMS Staff | Sep 29, 2025 | Branding, Marketing, Strategy, Training
No organization is a one-trick pony. Sure, everyone has their specialties. But the best organizations still do all core functions competently or even exceptionally. What are those core functions? There are four vital disciplines, or Success Markers, you need to create...
by OTMS Staff | Sep 10, 2025 | Branding, Training
Most organizations treat branding and service as separate disciplines. Marketing handles the creative elements while operations focuses on consumer experience…but your name and logo aren’t just marketing assets. They’re also service tools that either...
by OTMS Staff | Sep 8, 2025 | Branding
I recently wrote about “Ten Ways to Get Better at Marketing.” Let’s take the same approach with branding. Of course, you might be asking: “what’s the difference between branding and marketing?” Tom Pestridge wrote a fantastic post on LinkedIn about that very question....
by OTMS Staff | Aug 20, 2025 | Branding, Training
As Marcus Lemonis says: “Business is simple. It’s people, process and product. If you get those three things right, you win.” That wisdom from the successful investor and star of “The Fixer” cuts straight to the heart of what makes...
by OTMS Staff | Aug 13, 2025 | Branding, Training
Journey maps aren’t just pretty diagrams (or scrabbled words on a napkin from lunch). They’re strategic tools that define how people experience your organization from first contact to lifelong loyalty. When they’re working correctly, they create...
by OTMS Staff | Aug 6, 2025 | Branding
We get a lot of questions about website development from financial institutions looking to upgrade their digital presence. Some are technical, some are strategic and some reveal common misconceptions about how modern websites should work. The truth is, your website...
by OTMS Staff | Jul 23, 2025 | Branding
In Greek mythology, Sisyphus was a man who cheated Death (by literally chaining it up). But this feat wasn’t a good thing. Sisyphus faced punishment for his crime – he had to roll a boulder up a hill only to watch it roll down as he reached the top. He repeated this...
by OTMS Staff | Jul 21, 2025 | Branding
In the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, American athlete Gail Devers was in the lead during the 100-meter hurdles final. She had already won a gold medal in the 100-meter dash, and it looked like she was about to earn her second. But then something happened… Devers’...
by OTMS Staff | Jul 16, 2025 | Branding
Tick-tock, tick-tock…your organization’s identity might be running out of time. Or maybe it’s already past its sell by date and giving consumers a nasty case of brand bellyaches. But unlike at the grocery store, there’s no expiration date printed on your brand at...
by OTMS Staff | Jul 7, 2025 | Branding
The American Flag is a well-known symbol associated with the United States and its people…but it hasn’t always been consistent in its design. According to the National Flag Foundation, it changed 27 times as the country evolved. What we know today as the U.S. Flag has...
by OTMS Staff | Jul 2, 2025 | Branding
Picture this: it’s Independence Day and you’re hosting the neighborhood barbecue. You fired up the grill, stocked the cooler and everyone’s expecting a feast. But here’s the thing…you can’t just throw random stuff on the grill and hope...
by OTMS Staff | Jun 9, 2025 | Branding
“Justice never sleeps.” It’s a line evoking images of Batman brooding on some fog-shrouded rooftop, ever-vigilant and prepared to save Gotham City. After all, crime never takes a vacation. And neither do your consumers-at-large. Sure, individual people take vacations....
by OTMS Staff | Jun 4, 2025 | Branding
Your bank and credit union branding is a literal treasure trove. Create a brand consumers love and you become more than a peddler of commodities…you become a trusted partner people want to reward with their business over and over again. For some organizations, this...
by OTMS Staff | Jun 2, 2025 | Branding
Your bank or credit union brand isn’t something you should shove in a box. You couldn’t do it if you wanted to. Brands are like gases – diffuse, sometimes invisible forces that permeate your institution. Whether you like it or not, your brand makes an impact at all...
by OTMS Staff | May 21, 2025 | Branding, Strategy
No matter how you slice it, these are challenging economic times for your bank or credit union brand. According to CNBC, the economy shrank 0.3% in the first quarter. Whether your executive team is using the “R” word or not, the reality is there are headwinds (and not...
by OTMS Staff | May 9, 2025 | Branding
True to its chorus…everyone knows the “Cheers” intro song. The mere mention of it urges that keyboard player in your brain to start tapping the keys before your mental vocalist bellows: “Sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name!” Wouldn’t it be nice if...
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