The ABA recognized seven of the nation’s best bank marketing initiatives, including that of First Dakota National Bank headquartered in Yankton, at its Unconventional Convention on Monday. The 2020 ABA Brand Slam awards honored elite bank marketing strategies that stood out among hundreds of entries from banks of all sizes nationwide.

“Marketing is essential to nurturing a company’s reputation and enhancing its engagement with customers,” said Jim Edrington, ABA’s chief member engagement officer. “During a year filled with extraordinary challenges, these award winners have excelled at implementing creative solutions to make powerful connections with their customers and communities.”

First Dakota National Bank was honored for its video campaign titled “Not Canceled” used to effectively tell the bank's story. In early March, South Dakota consumers had weathered a steady stream of preemptive event cancellations and business closures as the novel coronavirus started impacting American lives. To help soften the blow, First Dakota created an uplifting TV spot encouraging consumers that there’s still plenty of good all around us, and that some things--like family, charity, kindness and compassion--can’t be canceled no matter how bleak things might seem. Watch the video. 

A volunteer panel of 124 certified financial marketing professional-credentialed experts judged the concept, strategy, creativity, execution and impact of entries in seven categories: Crisis Communication, Integrated Marketing Campaign, Out of the Box Idea, Public Relations/Community Engagement Activity, Social Media Campaign, Video Campaign and Website Redesign. A winner was selected for each category. Read more about the award winners.