CUNA offers new educational radio ads for usage by credit unions nationwide

WASHINGTON-Staff at CUNA now has added a radio spot component to its public education program that supplies credit unions and leagues with ads to reach out to consumers unfamiliar with credit unions. The radio ads, which describe in simple, understandable language what CUs are, who owns them, and who benefits from the profits are geared toward providing leagues and CUs across the nation with one more tool to use in elevating public awareness of the choice consumers have in picking a financial institution. The successful passage of H.R. 1151, the Credit Union Membership Access Act, got consumers thinking about CUs on a much wider scale than ever before, officials said. Then after passage of the act, CUNA officials decided the time was right to tell people more through use of educational television and print materials formulated for that purpose. "Building an understanding of credit unions is a critical step in the branding process and these materials lay that groundwork," said Mark Wolff, CUNA & Affiliates senior vice president of communications. "To move the consumer beyond just awareness to a level of understanding, we need to tell them about the credit union difference. The public education ads, which deliver factual information in a believable, no-nonsense manner, fulfill this important role in the overall brand-building strategy," Wolff said. The three new radio ads make use of the "man on the street" interview format. After a question and answer sequence, they close with the national CU brand slogan "America's Credit Unions... Where people are worth more than money!" Each ad is 20 seconds long. A narrator asks a question during each, as in the first where he asks, "Who really owns credit unions?" The person being interviewed replies that he or she doesn't know. Then, the narrator tells them that while many people don't know it, CUs actually are owned by "the people who are members." Ten seconds of time on the radio spots has been left "for local tagging by leagues and credit unions," Wolff said. "Radio can be a very cost-effective advertising vehicle, especially on the local level," he said. "We received many requests for a radio component, and our messaging fit the format so well that we felt it was in the best interest of the campaign-and more importantly, its users-to make radio available." The public education campaign print and television materials were made available by CUNA in a pilot program in eight cities in 1998, and made available to state leagues and CUs in 1999. Work is now under way to produce a second phase of materials to build on the core CU attributes of trust and respect, Wolff said. The set of three ads is available from CUNA for $280. For more information on the radio spots, visit the CUNA & Affiliates Web site at www.cuna.org, or contact brand campaign staff at (800) 356-9655, ext. 5778. -lide@cutimes.com