The New Jersey Credit Union League is counting on the run-up to the Feb. 7 Super Bowl in Miami as a useful branding vehicle to convey the league's "Banking You Can Trust" awareness message.
The league said it was taking out commercials on two New Jersey AM radio stations to broadcast its "Banking You Can Trust" pitch on the American Football Conference title game between the New York Jets and the Indianapolis Colts on Jan. 24.
Throughout the game five commercials were to air on each New Jersey station, four during game play and one during pre- or post-game discussion, said Paul Gentile, the president/CEO of the league, who noted that the Jets are true underdogs with a big fan base across the state.
As for the message, "There has never been a more important time to tell the credit union story" and the title game is an ideal setting, said Gentile. "Consumers are anxious for alternatives and credit unions, as member-owned cooperatives with no outside shareholders, are a compelling alternative," he added.
According to Gentile, "You can't brand something that isn't known," and "by using the term 'banking' we instantly tell consumers what we do." While CUs "are certainly not banks," CUs do offer banking services and so, "let's use common language that consumers understand and not try to confuse them with terms like 'shares' and that they have to 'join.' And 'trust,' of course, is what credit unions are all about."
"For us in New Jersey, 'Banking You Can Trust' is the right message," he concluded.
?jrubenstein@cutimes.com
