The $74 million, 9,400-member Central Star Credit Union is working to turn heads in its Wichita, Kan., market with an ad campaign that tells members to “Get Naked Checking.”

Hairless cats and dogs are the images shared in the campaign, which carries the tagline “It's Free, So There's Nothing to Hide” and includes Web videos and print ads, billboards, T-shirts and Facebook and YouTube postings aimed at driving traffic to NakedChecking.com.

“We wanted to differentiate our new free checking from other financial institutions in our market who offer checking accounts, but with certain restrictions and fees,” said Central Star President Lee Williams.

“We chose to use the humor of Naked Checking with the hairless animals, and it's been great to see the smiles on people's faces when they see our promotion,” Williams said.

The campaign also includes support for the Kansas Humane Society. In the “Get Naked and Give Back Drive,” Central Star said it will donate $1 for every pet item donated at one of its branches.

“There's just so much clutter out there,” said Elisa Rode, president of Kearley & Co., the credit union's Fort Worth, Texas, advertising agency, “So we had to think of a more dynamic way to grab people's attention.”

Central Star has branches in Wichita and Haysville, Kan., and is open to anyone who lives, works or does business in Sedgwick, Butler, Harvey, McPherson, Saline or Sumner counties and to current or retired employees of Beechcraft Corp. or its subsidiaries and associations.

Instant Insights /

Free Checking is the Naked Truth in Wichita (Video)

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