US banks SunTrust and BB&T have settled on the name Truist Bank for their new collective identity, resulting from the corporate merger struck earlier this year and initially valued at $66bn.
The Truist brand name, in turn, will likely be emblazoned on dozens of sports facilities around the country, most notably SunTrust Park in Atlanta, home of Major League Baseball’s Atlanta Braves.
The SunTrust-BB&T merger is set to close in the second half of this year following regulatory and shareholder approvals. And it is not until then when the rebranding, which was developed with aid of brand consulting group Interbrand, will begin to take effect. A logo, colors, typography, and other elements of the new Truist brand are still in development and will be revealed later.
That means the existing SunTrust Park name will remain intact through at least the 2019 season, and perhaps into the start of next season. Braves officials said in a statement there is not yet a firm timetable for any name conversion to the two-year-old ballpark. But the 25-year naming rights deal, estimated to be worth more than $10m per year, remains intact.
“The Atlanta Braves and SunTrust have a great partnership, and we will work together on the new name for SunTrust Park,” the club said. “Nothing will change for this season, and SunTrust’s naming rights will continue for years to come.”
The Truist name could receive a sizable bump in exposure in 2021, when the Braves are slated to play host to the 2021 MLB All-Star Game.
SunTrust and BB&T collectively hold a wide variety of naming rights for other venues and events in major and minor league sports that are similarly poised for renaming, including the home arena of the National Hockey League’s Florida Panthers in Sunrise, Florida.