Branding

Shareholders of both companies will meet separately next month to cast ballots on the $28 billion deal, and BB&T investors will also decide whether the new company should be called Truist Financial.

Truliant Federal Credit Union claims that the BB&T-SunTrust post-merger brand represents trademark infringement and unfair competition.

"Truist" was roundly mocked when it was unveiled as the name of the merging BB&T and SunTrust, but it’s hardly the first bank moniker to elicit a "huh?" from critics.

Judging by day one on social media, you’d think the new Truist brand was a flop. But marketing and branding experts say the name has a lot going for it. What matters most will be how the two banks advocate for the name.

The combined company will be known as Truist, which plays off “trust,” a word the banks’ original names had in common.

Here are the top five areas of design to consider when developing a new brand and core message.

As Columbia Threadneedle’s head of North America marketing, Leslie Walstrom is focused on elevating the division beyond the traditional sales support.

PR campaigns won’t be enough to salvage the bank’s reputation after a series of scandals. Instead, it should look into adopting a new name, among other crucial steps.

The bank also renamed its U.S. Trust business.

Tradition, trust and Google all factor into the choice.