The GBU management team is always looking for ways to improve our members' lives, from products that help them achieve their financial goals to member benefits that help them serve their communities. It is the ever-changing needs of our members and prospective members that are the catalyst for developing new products, a new look, and new ways to communicate.

As we began our re-branding process, it was recognized early that there was a need to establish more awareness of who GBU is and what we stand for in the marketplace. Even in our home city, our brand recognition factors are less than 4%. This means that we needed to make the GBU brand more recognizable, likable, and meaningful. Developing the brand was a long process and involved obtaining feedback from employees, members, and others on what it means to be part of GBU. 

 

As we began the process to look at our name, GBU Financial Life, we realized it was long and wasn't exactly warm or friendly, and most importantly, it didn't describe who we are as an organization. We could be a small firm of financial advisors or a large, commercial multi-line insurance company. To add more warmth and clarify who and what GBU is, we decided to change our marketing name to GBU Life. It is important to note that GBU Life is just for our brand identity, and you will continue to see GBU Financial Life on all legal documents like applications, contracts, etc. The word "Life" in GBU Life has multiple meanings. It tells new prospective members that we sell life insurance and annuities, while also seeking to be a part of our members' lives through community improvement and member activities.

The GBU marketing department spent a lot of time researching looks and icons that could represent who GBU is and what we do. After much deliberation and the evaluation of hundreds of icons, we finally landed on our bridge design, a symbol of connection. The new GBU logo represents a bridge that is stylistically based on the Roberto Clemente Bridge here in Pittsburgh. It speaks not only to our home town roots but also to our mission of supporting our large number of members while maintaining a strong business. We connect our GBU communities and members while helping to secure their lives with trustworthy, value added life insurance and annuity products. You can see how the bridge image visually connects GBU with "Life."

It was easy for everyone to agree that they wanted to keep GBU "blue." Blue is a color of both trust and confidence, which is a message that we want to send prospective members and you, our members. I think you have to agree that this rich, cobalt color is eye-catching, especially with our new golden bridge icon, and gives off a feeling of both warmth and richness.

Finally, we have developed a new GBU Life Member Community, a private social network that connects our members to GBU and to each other. Not only will members be able to use the system to access service forms, log in to see account information and balances, and find out the latest news, they will also be able to use this platform to work together. Much like Facebook, the new GBU Life Member Community allows for posting, commenting, planning, and organizing. In addition to the Reporter, it is an easy way to keep up on what is happening, what new member benefits are available, and ways to get more involved. If we already have your email address, keep an eye out for your invitation to join the community. You can request an invitation at any time at community.gbu.org.

We hope that you are as excited as we are about all of our accomplishments in a very challenging year. We also hope that you feel the new look of GBU Life better reflects our ever-present and historical mission of serving and connecting our members while ensuring that the company is ready for the future.