Why aren't all credit union leagues doing this?
Posted by Trey Reeme on September 4th, 2007
I heart NY. Hat tip to Chuck and Ron.
Why does it rock?
Other than the solid website and TV spots, here are a few points that are brilliantly executed but might not be so obvious at first glance.
- It explains how to start a credit union. At BarCampBankSeattle, Jesse expressed disappointment that he could find no resources explaining the process for Black Rock FCU. It’s nice to see that New York doesn’t simply say, “Here’s how you do it, now go have fun” – they say, “Here’s who you call at NCUA and at the NY State Banking Department. We’ll help.”
- It debunks CU myths while avoiding the rhetoric. As a whole, we worry too much about taxation and not enough about reaching new members – and not just “Gen Y’ers” either. Doggone it, one of the best ideas I’ve seen in a while is the burial plot loan.
- It even brings focus to volunteer opportunities within a credit union – both in the community and in the credit union itself.
- Instead of “People, not profit” it emphasizes “People over profit.” I hereby move that “People, not profit” be struck from the lexicon and replaced by this new phrase. Of course, we return those profits back to our members (or we should).
Overall, this campaign and the corresponding website explains eloquently that we are cooperatives, not banks. Every league should take a long look at this site, consider it the benchmark, and get campaigns like this launched in their state.
Great campaign! I’d love to see other leagues jump on a similar boat.
Nice implementation NY!
I have always been amazed that the “credit union” brand has not been defined in national campaigns and that credit unions would only need to market around what makes them unique.
I so often hear excuses from folks in credit unions that it too hard to get agreement across so many credit union…I call BS on that and say it may be hard but it is achievable and well worth the effort!
I also believe that any regional or national branding campaigns should be done by a company that has proven success with creating buzz and large-scale brand awareness, rather than by a CUNA. CUNA could however serve a valuable role to rally CUs and facilitate selection of a branding company.
Too many folks out there of all ages do not get how a credit union has different motivations than a bank and how those motivations often directly impact what they will see in pricing, service and products and service recommendations.
Way to go NY league!
That is a great TV ad. I love how straight forward it is—how it doesn’t try to be cute or weird to catch your attention. Sometimes simple is better.
I read about the campaign in this week’s CU Journal and checked it out. Very cool stuff.
A couple other state branding sites I like:
CA/NV: http://www.creditunionswork.org/ (bonus for having dollar origami…)
CO: http://www.creditunionfacts.com/
NJ: http://www.njdifference.com/ (I have no idea who would download the wallpaper though…)
OK: http://www.creditunionscare.com/
OR: http://www.you-belong.org/
PA: http://www.ibelong.org/
This is so solid…and very creative. I especially love the “how to start a CU”. What a great way to showcase the CU differences!
I love the simplicity and clear, relevant messaging. I second Trey’s motion for “People Over Profits”.
Three cheers for the NY League…hopefully this will catch on.
@Chuck – totally agree that it’s BS, but it’s real. I’ve seen it first-hand. Too often credit unions are forgetting that growth not only comes with increased market share within our piece of the pie – it comes with increasing the size of the credit union slice as a whole. In some ways, “we” are becoming “them” (them = another four-letter word starting with b and rhyming with skank).
We are a good deal for consumers – we must believe that. If we do, we must likewise believe in our ability to convert bank customers to credit union members. NY’s branding campaign is a great way to help us build that momentum.
I took a look at the site and thought that it needs to be simplified in the area of graphic design. There isn’t a real clear hierarchy of information. For awhile my eye just bounced around, trying to figure out what the site was about. I kept looking at the “how to volunteer” stuff, etc, and finally found the menu at the top. Basically, it is a case of too many things given too equal a visual weight. I’d give more weight to the top menu, and lessen that of the items on the side bar.
Also didn’t care for the color. I love the blue in and of itself but it gives this site a cold, pharmaceutical feel, as opposed to the warm, CU welcome we all know was probably meant.
Content looked great. The concept is quite fine. I just think the design could be improved. I think these guys are headed in the right direction!
I agree with most that this is a solid campaign, and I do think Lena makes some good points about the design.
My comment concerns something that caught my eye as soon as I hit the site—the link in the top middle “Why Is A Credit Union For You?”
Given the affinity so many CU people have for the Mac/PC guy ads, you’d think more CUs would understand a key component of what makes Apple so successful: It doesn’t try to be all things to all people.
Yet the question “why is a credit union for you?” presumes that a CU is right for everyone. Instead, it should be asking “Is a credit union right for you?”
The way the question is worded puts the onus on the site to convince or persuade site visitors. My revised wording positions the site as helping the site visitor decide for him/herself.
I know this is just one nit—but by positioning the link in prime screen real estate, somebody must have thought this was an important link.