As another season of Southeastern Conference football gets underway, Regions Bank is celebrating a relationship with the SEC that has lasted nearly three decades — and rolling out new ways to connect with the fans, coaches and student-athletes who make Saturdays in the South special.
Regions, the Official Bank of the Southeastern Conference, announced a season-long campaign Thursday featuring game-day experiences on SEC campuses, new video podcasts with student-athletes and coaches, digital storytelling and a new television commercial celebrating the traditions surrounding SEC football.
For Regions and the conference, the partnership is about more than what happens on the field.
“What sets SEC football apart is the way it binds campuses, families and entire communities together every Saturday,” said Charlie Hussey, deputy commissioner of the Southeastern Conference. “Regions Bank has stood with us through three decades of that story, not just as a sponsor, but as a neighbor invested in the same towns and the same people. As another season begins, we value sponsors who understand that this conference is about more than the scoreboard, and Regions Bank has consistently shown that understanding.”
This fall, Regions will take that partnership directly to fans with special activations at select SEC games.
The new Regions Transfer Portal puts a banking spin on one of college football’s most familiar terms, giving fans an interactive experience centered on how easy it is to switch to Regions. Fans can also visit the Regions Big Green Bike, pick up giveaways and create AI-powered photos that digitally “transfer” them to their favorite SEC team.
The first activation is scheduled for Sept. 19 in Oxford, Mississippi, during the LSU-Ole Miss matchup, with others planned alongside select SEC Nation broadcasts throughout the season.
Regions is also putting student-athletes and coaches in front of the camera.
A new three-episode “Regions Extra” video podcast series will feature SEC student-athletes sharing their experiences with the transfer portal. The series will debut later this fall on Regions Bank’s YouTube channel, with clips also appearing on the bank’s Instagram and Facebook accounts.
Another series, “Regions Extra: Welcome to the SEC,” is already available and features interviews with four newly hired SEC head football coaches: Arkansas’ Ryan Silverfield, Auburn’s Alex Golesh, Florida’s Jon Sumrall and Ole Miss’ Pete Golding. SEC Network personalities Peter Burns and Chris Doering host the program.
Throughout the fall, Regions will also feature 13 SEC football and basketball players sharing their stories and offering fans a look at the work they put in on and off the field.
Regions also has a new television commercial airing this season that celebrates SEC football traditions and brings the bank’s “Extra is our Ordinary” tagline into the campaign.
The bank’s SEC involvement extends beyond football.
Regions is the presenting sponsor of SEC Startup, an annual competition featuring student-athlete entrepreneurs from across the conference. University of Alabama swimmer Sydney Blackhurst took top honors at this year’s competition for her Beyond Barriers Swim Foundation, which provides adaptive swim lessons for children with disabilities. The event aired during SEC Media Days.
Paula Drake, chief marketing and communications officer for Regions Bank, said tradition, passion and community connect the bank with the conference it has supported for nearly 30 years.
“SEC football is built on tradition, passion and community, and those same values are at the heart of how Regions serves customers and communities,” Drake said. “For nearly 30 years, Regions Bank’s relationship with the SEC has provided meaningful opportunities to showcase why a banking relationship with Regions is special. No matter how you connect with Regions and the SEC this fall, Regions is proud to be part of what makes SEC football special across our communities.”
