Curriculum | ABA Bank Marketing School | American Bankers Association

Strategic marketing is critical to your bank’s performance. Our top-rated curriculum taught by expert faculty will provide those critical skills and show you how to demonstrate what you’ve learned through dynamic team-based coursework.

At the school, students collaborate to create a marketing plan for a fictional bank. Each course includes a relevant component that students will need to apply to the fictional bank’s strategy — and present at the school’s conclusion.

VIEW THE 2024 COURSE CATALOG

2025 Curriculum

Mon, Apr 14
Pre-Recorded Courses
Sat, Apr 26
Sat, Apr 13
Mon, Apr 28
Tues, Apr 29
Wed, Apr 30
Thurs, May 1
Fri, May 2

Mon, Apr 14

1:00 PM - 2:00 PM

Student Orientation

Join us for an overview of the school and a thorough review of ABA’s Learning Management System (LMS).

Pre-Recorded Courses

1 Hour

Sales & Marketing Alignment I

When sales and marketing teams unite around shared goals, they become a formidable engine for driving revenue growth. This course will equip you with the tools and strategies to effectively align sales and marketing efforts, enhancing your ability to create impactful, data-driven campaigns that resonate with the C-suite.

Shelley Regin, CFMP, SVP, Marketing, Country Bank

1.25 Hours

Data & Analytics I

The rise of advanced data analytics and scalable data has transformed how financial institutions approach marketing. In this course, you’ll explore diverse data types used to drive both traditional and digital marketing strategies. You’ll learn how to extract, analyze and operationalize data to uncover actionable insights, optimize marketing efforts and stay competitive in a rapidly evolving digital landscape.

Hunter Young, Founder & President, HIFI Agency

1 Hour

Marketing ROI I

Marketing professionals are required to fill many roles within a financial services organization. They provide strategic direction, research client needs, conduct competitive intelligence, develop new products, manage company communications, support sales activities and more. Given the large demands and challenges of the job, many find it difficult to effectively evaluate and prioritize marketing activities. In this session, learn to show the financial ROI of your bank marketing endeavors.

Joann Marsili, CFMP, EVP, Chief Marketing & Digital Experience Officer, Fidelity Bank

Sat, Apr 26

4:00 PM – 5:00 PM	Hotel Check-In
4:00 PM – 5:00 PM	Registration
5:00 PM – 6:00 PM	Welcome and Team Building Exercise
6:00 PM – 7:00 PM	Welcome Dinner
7:00 PM – 8:00 PM	Welcome Reception

Sat, Apr 13

8:00 AM – 10:00 AM	Marketing Planning I Using the Path to Superior Execution as its framework, this course details how marketing planning does not happen in a vacuum. Learn how to implement a five-step participatory marketing planning process, and how the situation analysis, competitive strategy, market segmentation, etc. play a role. You’ll practice applying those elements to a real-life case study in a group exercise that includes presenting your group’s marketing plan to the entire class. Lance Kessler, CFMP, President, Lance Kessler & Associates – Marketing Consulting and Training
10:00 AM – 10:15 AM	Break
10:15 AM – 12:15 PM	Data & Analytics The rise of advanced data analytics and scalable data has transformed how financial institutions approach marketing. In this course, you’ll explore diverse data types used to drive both traditional and digital marketing strategies. You’ll learn how to extract, analyze and operationalize data to uncover actionable insights, optimize marketing efforts and stay competitive in a rapidly evolving digital landscape. Hunter Young, Founder & President, HIFI Agency
12:15 PM – 1:15 PM	Lunch
1:15 PM – 3:15 PM	Profitability I: Bank Financial Analysis Understanding the components of a balance sheet and how they drive income statements is critical to understanding how marketing affects bank performance. Management reporting, including Asset-Liability Management (ALCO) and profitability reporting, are used internally to manage risks, measure progress and drive decision-making. In this session, learn to identify profit drivers that result in positive financial performance and how to develop a strategy that focuses on strategic objectives that drive long-term success. Jeff Marsico, President, The Kafafian Group, Inc.
3:30 PM – 5:30 PM	Banking on Multicultural Consumers Multicultural Americans play an integral role in expenditure growth in the country. This consumer segment is central to the success of every consumer brand and financial institution in America. During this course, gain insights into how marketing to multicultural consumers can yield incredible results for your bank. David Femi, Head of Multicultural Banking & Diverse Market Strategy, M&T Bank

Mon, Apr 28

8:30 AM - 10:00 AM	Marketing Planning II Refer to Marketing Planning I course description Lance Kessler, CFMP, President, Lance Kessler & Associates – Marketing Consulting and Training
10:00 AM - 10:15 AM	Break
10:15 AM - 12:30 PM	Brand Intelligence Your bank has a brand. The long-term value of your bank will depend upon the value of that brand. The ultimate goal should be to establish a unique brand for the organization, and to advance the brand through every internal and external effort of the entire organization. Doing so will strengthen the undercurrent of all other marketing actions and deliverables. This course will focus on building your passion to manage the brand of your organization and elevating your bank’s culture and market share. Amber Farley, EVP, Emerging Media, Financial Marketing Solutions
12:30 PM - 1:30 PM	Lunch
1:30 PM - 2:45 PM	Marketing ROI II Refer to Marketing ROI I Course Description Joann Marsili, CFMP, EVP, Chief Marketing & Digital Experience Officer, Fidelity Bank
2:45 PM - 3:00 PM	Break
3:00 PM - 5:00 PM	Marketing ROI II Refer to Marketing ROI I Course Description Joann Marsili, CFMP, EVP, Chief Marketing & Digital Experience Officer, Fidelity Bank
6:00 PM – 8:00 PM	Bowling & BBQ, Sponsored by FMS Now’s your chance to show off those bowling skills! And if you bowl more gutter balls than strikes, we have tasty BBQ and refreshments that are right up your alley. Get ready for Bowling and BBQ, sponsored by our friends at FMS.

Tues, Apr 29

8:00 AM - 9:30 AM	Marketing Planning III Refer to Marketing Planning I course description Lance Kessler, CFMP, President, Lance Kessler & Associates - Marketing Consulting and Training
9:30 AM - 9:45 AM	Break
9:45 AM - 11:45 PM	Profitability II: Asset Liability Management (ALCO) Refer to Profitability I course description Jeff Marsico, President, The Kafafian Group, Inc.
11:45 AM - 12:45 PM	Lunch
12:45 PM - 1:45 PM	PR/Communications I This course examines mass and digital media from the perspective of both receivers and senders of marketing communications. Learn to take into consideration both the consumer and business markets in a rapidly changing environment. Consider how your organization handles PR, including requests for donations, media list compilation, media contact strategies and the creation of an annual communications plan. Theresa Wendhausen, CFMP, VP & Branding & Communications Manager, First National Bank and Trust Company
1:45 PM - 2:00 PM	Break
3:15 PM - 4:30 PM	PR/Communications II Refer to PR/Communication I course description Theresa Wendhausen, CFMP, VP & Branding & Communications Manager, First National Bank and Trust Company
4:30 PM - 5:30 PM	Best Practices Discussion

Wed, Apr 30

8:00 AM - 9:45 AM	Sales & Marketing Alignment II Refer to Sales & Marketing Alignment I course description Shelley Regin, CFMP, SVP, Marketing, Country Bank
9:45 AM - 10:15 PM	Break
10:15 AM - 11:45 AM	Marketing Risk Management Reputational risk affects an institution’s ability to establish new relationships, products or services, and continue serving existing relationships. This risk can expose an organization to litigation and financial loss, as well as damage the brand. Aside from reputational damage, operational risk can lead to increased costs or decreased revenue. Learn to manage operational risk so you can ensure your marketing programs are executed accurately, on time, on budget and on strategy. Charles LeFevre, CRCM, EVP, Chief Operations Officer, Sovereign Bank
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM	Lunch
1:00 PM - 3:00 PM	AI In Action: Using Innovation to Build Value for You and Your Brand From Chat GPT to Copilot to Perplexity, the growth of AI can help you and your bank transform customer engagement, data-driven marketing strategies, and creative development. Believe it or not, marketers are considered leaders in adoption, advocacy, and use of AI tools throughout the bank marketing industry. With an overview of the good, bad, and curious of AI, plus a one-of-a-kind interactive exercise, you’ll master AI tools to craft a marketing hook for your bank. John Hanley, CFMP, Chief Marketing Officer, Equity Bank
3:15 PM - 5:15 PM	Content Marketing and Management This course will review how to develop a content strategy that aligns with your business goals, create engaging and valuable content, and track the success of your campaigns. By the end of this course, you will be able to create a content marketing plan that drives results and can grow individual business lines of focus. Learn a proven process to generate endless story ideas as well as effectively document, plan and coordinate your content plan. You’ll discover ways to research, remix and repackage your content to make your content work harder for you. Shelly Loftin, CFMP, Senior Director of Marketing & Sales Enablement, Arvest Bank
6:00 PM - 7:00 PM	Karaoke and Pizza Party, Sponsored by Pannos Marketing It’s time to stretch your legs and your vocal cords! Bring your inner diva or rockstar to Karaoke and Pizza, sponsored by our friends at Pannos Marketing.

Thurs, May 1

8:00 AM - 9:30 AM	Compliance and Marketing I Increased regulatory burden, the rapidly changing landscape of advertising and a shift away from traditional media can make compliance seem overwhelming. This course will provide students with an overview of the laws and regulations that govern a bank’s advertising and market planning so they can best mitigate compliance risk at their bank. Students will learn how these laws and regulations relate to loan, deposit and nontraditional products, as well as gain practical knowledge to ensure their bank’s advertising is effective and compliant when developing appropriate marketing collateral. Charles LeFevre, CRCM, EVP, Chief Operations Officer, Sovereign Bank
9:30 AM - 9:45 AM	Break
9:45 AM - 12:00 PM	Compliance and Marketing II Refer to Compliance and Marketing I course description Charles LeFevre, CRCM, EVP, Chief Operations Officer, Sovereign Bank
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM	Lunch
1:00 PM - 5:00 PM	Student Group Exercise Collaborate with fellow students to create a marketing plan for a fictional bank, based on all the coursework you learned at the school.

Fri, May 2

8:00 AM - 10:15 AM

Student Group Presentations

10:30 PM - 12:30 PM

Effective Marketing Leadership

One of the biggest challenges facing marketers today is having a seat at the executive table. This course is designed to explore the role of marketing, and how strategic leadership is essential to that role. Through interactive discussion and hands-on activities, explore how to become a stronger leader in your organization.

Lance Kessler, CFMP, President, Lance Kessler & Associates - Marketing Consulting and Training

12:30 PM

School Adjourns

This program is subject to change. Please bookmark this page to check for continuing updates. Read ABA Conference and School Policies to help answer additional questions.

Curriculum | Bank Marketing School