At the urging of South Carolina credit unions, CUNA has taken over the drive to formally own the “Every Day Is Bank Transfer Day” slogan.

But it might take until spring before the slogan can be adapted widely in CU ads across the U.S. after CUNA wins formal approval on a trademark application now pending with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

The hand off of the legal maneuvering to CUNA by a group of South Carolina CUs led by the $1.3 billion South Carolina FCU, North Charleston, and the South Carolina Credit Union League took place last month. It came just after the “Bank Transfer Day” Facebook founder, Los Angeles art store owner Kristen Christian, spoke during a CUNA webinar.

Christian, roundly praised by the industry after her October boycott of Bank of America’s debit card fee and call to consumers to switch to CUs, is now scheduled to appear in March with CUNA President/CEO Bill Cheney at the trade group’s Governmental Affairs Conference in Washington. She also will take part in a breakout session at the D.C. meeting.

“We’re very excited and happy to share ‘Every Day’ with credit unions across the country,” said Jessica Jackson, vice president-corporate communications for South Carolina FCU. The credit union first used the slogan in late November on Facebook and on Twitter after the Transfer Day movement generated an estimated 500,000 new accounts.

Joining South Carolina FCU in helping to promote the new “Every Day” blitz has been the South Carolina League, which for weeks has solicited CUs across the state to start using the brand in advertising while the league and SCFCU applied with the federal agency to register the slogan.

SCFCU along with the league contend the Transfer Day concept can now resonate even further in the coming months and be as successful as the “Got Milk” campaign of the nation’s milk processors.

Jackson of SCFCU said her CU has the slogan on its opening Web page, in an ad promoting mortgages and is using the slogan on its Facebook page. There are now 36 South Carolina CUs in a “BTDNOW” Facebook group, she said.

Other CUs sharing their use of the “Every Day” slogan have included Pee Dee FCU on a radio ad and Carolina Collegiate CU on a website ad, she said.

Also, it was reported that CPM FCU is putting “Every Day” on promotional pieces, while Founders FCU is considering using the slogan, she said.

In pushing “Every Day,” Jackson of South Carolina FCU stressed that CU leaders have steered clear from calling the effort a campaign since it is more a rallying cry. That’s because, she explained, “a campaign has a beginning and an end, and this doesn’t.”

She said the decision to turn over the legal trademark processing and U.S. Patent application to CUNA was based on the national trade group having more capability and stature to deal with the agency should a U.S. rollout of “Every Day” get started.

Instant Insights /

Bank Transfer Day Trademark Quest Turned Over to CUNA

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