Raoust+Partners - Case Study - Jeanne D’Arc Credit Union

Jeanne D’Arc Credit Union has been a part of New England’s rich history for over a century. Chartered in 1912, it is America’s third oldest credit union. With that legacy comes challenges, especially with identity. Over time, Jeanne D’Arc had forgotten its heritage, and as a result, just assumed it wasn’t that important anyway. Jeanne D’Arc Credit Union became JDCU, causing a shift in both internal and public perception. The brand was completely anonymous, shuffled off to the sidelines by competing financial institutions. Raoust+Partners’ job was to retrace the roots of the credit union and salvage the bountiful history tucked away in the attic of the credit union’s brand.

Research indicated that for New Englanders, not only is history everywhere, it’s also an important part of their culture and identity. Lowell is the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution in the U.S., with mills lining the Merrimack River. The city and surrounding region have always largely been blue collar, deeply devout and informed by the history of immigrants, mill workers and families gravitating around local churches and schools. In fact, Jeanne D’Arc Credit Union itself was started in the basement of Ste Jean the Baptiste Church in Lowell. We took this to heart. Our first step was to bring JDCU back to its origins by reviving its real name: Jeanne D’Arc Credit Union.

There is incredible ethnic diversity in the Greater Lowell area. This is not only the place where so many immigrants came to work at the turn of the century in the textile mills, it’s also where many of them stayed and built lives—generation after generation. And for over a century, Jeanne D’Arc Credit Union has played an integral role in helping these individuals realize the American Dream.

To underscore the shared connection between Jeanne D’Arc Credit Union and the community it serves, we created the tagline, “We Share A Common Thread.” Jeanne D’Arc Credit Union, alone, can make this claim.

The rebrand has proven to be a major success. Loans and membership have continued to grow significantly over the last 10 years, with Jeanne D’Arc over doubling in both assets and members. As importantly, the credit union has found its footing as a trusted financial brand in the Greater Lowell region.

By bringing into the spotlight Jeanne D’Arc Credit Union’s legacy, and pairing it with an elevated tagline and modern design, Raoust+Partners breathed life back into a financial institution over a hundred years in the making.

By the numbers

Asset Growth

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