A direct mail piece from U.S. Senate Federal Credit Union thatfeatures a buxom blonde has generated some angry reaction, somenational media attention and a petition drive started by anoffended member seeking an apology.

The “Got Big Plans?” campaign on the $563 million credit union'swebsite offers loansfor various purposes, promising the Alexandria, Va., creditunion–which has offices in the Senate Hart Office Building and theGovernment Accountability Office–stands ready to “help with allthat life dishes out.”

“Preparing for any life change can be overwhelming…you have tolive through it AND you have to figure out how to afford it…that'swhere we come in. We can propose products and service to assist youwith financing everything in life that costs money…within reason,of course,” states the overview of the Got Big Plans loan sectionon the website.

But it was the campaign's direct mailing piece that hasgenerated the backlash, including a blog item in RollCall and The Current Conscience and an article on the Huffington Post.

“Clearly, someone at the bank prefers things big. Really big.Women of the Hill can rejoice in knowing that the SFCU will 'worryabout the money' while we're busy worrying about our own self-imageAND what sort of plastic surgery we should have to compensate forit,” blogger Meredith Shiner wrote in Roll Call's Heard onthe Hill section.

It continued, “We hear you, dude who came up with this ad andthe dozens of people who must have signed off on it, and to you wesay, 'Hey, Senate Federal Credit Union, our eyes are up here!'”

According to James Robert Lay, founder at PTP New Media, thereseemed to be a disconnect or confusion between the ad and thecredit union's brand.

“When you look at the website it's kind of conservative, sothere's a mixed message with the ad. We believe in destroying thebox and if you're going to be bold and different, then do it with apurpose that ties into who you are,” said Lay. “Maybe it was ashock and awe campaign? I say in my presentations that it'simportant not to take the middle of the road approach, and you wantthe reaction to be split into those who really love it or hate it.I think where the mixed messaging comes into play here is that itgot your attention but confused the heck out of us because when yougo to the website there isn't any information on lifestyle loans.So maybe instead of leaving it to the imagination spell it out.What's the loan product?”

Lifestyle loans have proved to be a boon for credit unions likeMountain America Credit Union, which teamed up with LifestyleLending Solutions LLC, to offer financing to cover the costs ofservices ranging from cosmetic surgery and adoption to weight lossand funeral expenses.

As for U.S. Senate FCU, negative reactions to the ad continuedand a Web poster who identified herself as Amber W., a lifelongadvocate of credit unions, launched a Women's Rights petition against what she deemed a sexistmailing, asking the credit union to acknowledge itsinappropriateness and make a public apology.

U.S. Senate FCU not only posted a formal apology on its websiteand emailed disapproving members, but also sent the followingletter to the editor of Roll Call:

“We read with concern your commentaries dated May 29 and May 30in 'Heard on the Hill.' It was never our intention to insult,demean or in any way offend any of our members. We have issued apersonal apology to the membership of the United States SenateFederal Credit Union.”

“The comments and opinions of our members, on any issue, arevery important, and we value their membership and support of thecredit union. We are working diligently and constantly to keeptheir confidence in our leadership.”

While it did little to changeHeard on the Hill's perspective, the apology at least satisfiedAmber W., who declared it a victory and shut the petition downdespite garnering some 435 of the 500 signatures sought.

Bryce Roth, chief chatter yak at Chatter Yak!, a marketing CUSOin Sandusky, Ohio, said he hoped the national attention wouldn'tdiscourage other credit unions from being “unconventional” in theirmarketing and advertising initiatives.

“I applaud US Senate FCU for taking a unique approach togarnering attention, but perhaps it could have been dialed in a bitbetter,” said Roth. “Every industry known to man has utilized thesetactics, why should it be any different for credit unions? I thinktheir slant on this issue could have been less racy and perhapsavoided so much scrutiny if it were thought about more and executedin a different fashion. Perhaps utilizing the idea that 'sex sells'but doing so in a more subtle and humorous way. Not focusing on oneaspect of a human's anatomy, but broadening the idea to apply bothto men and women.”

Lay added that maybe the point was to get people talking andthat even the backlash has still presented a uniqueopportunity.

“Given the buzz happening and the comments on the petition pageand the Huffington Post, this is a perfect opportunity to be asocial institution, that is what the human economy is all about,”Lay said. “Post a comment on the petition page, comment on theHuffington Post, do an op ed and play it up. Even if it was amistake, take the opportunity to address it at the industry leveland then directly to consumers. Take it head on. It's a lesson forall credit unions to listen, learn and engage.”

Roth agreed.

“This is an opportunity for credit unions to capture theattention of so many individuals who are, for the most part unawareof what credit unions are let alone the benefits they have tooffer,” said Roth. “This is a social economy, and word of mouth hasalways been the best way to get a genuine message out. P.T. Barnumis most often quoted as saying, 'I don't care what the newspaperssay about me as long as they spell my name right.' In this case, Ithink P.T.'s words hold wisdom, but such a large campaign may havebeen executed on a smaller scale. Sure, the press is talking aboutthe story, but have we provided fodder for others to misinterpretwhat credit unions are actually all about?”