SEATTLE – They may not have been big players, so to speak, butcredit unions in at least three major TV markets cashed in on SuperBowl advertising during the big football championship game Feb. 5.Indeed, in Seattle where the underdog Seahawks succumbed to thefavored Pittsburgh Steelers, a 30-second, fun-loving andyouth-oriented advocacy ad, paid for by a coalition led by theWashington Credit Union League, was seen by millions throughout theNorthwest. “I think it's fair to say that the ad here easilyreached over two million people and the ratings were the highestever recorded for a Super Bowl in the Seattle market,” crowed EdSteenman, head of a suburban Seattle ad firm and lead creator for a$70,000 ad commissioned by the Washington Credit Union League, 20CUs and Financial Service Centers Cooperative of San Dimas, Calif.The TV commercial, of which CUs across Washington State createdplenty of media hoopla and their own version of Super Bowl hype,ran during the half time show. While league leadership gratefullyaccepted congratulations from peers across the U.S. for getting aSuper Bowl spot at a bargain rate, CU marketers argued that theeffort, both locally and elsewhere to bring a positive CU messagebefore the public, needs to be vigorously repeated. “That was a newversion of the ad and that was great but we need to get more peopleto hear our message beyond a 30-second commercial,” said RonRogerson, senior vice president of marketing at the $600 millionKitsap Community FCU in Bremerton. But in Atlanta as well as inPittsburgh the CU story and awareness theme was heard on Super BowlSunday courtesy of league campaigns in those states. Georgia CreditUnion Affiliates said it ran a 30-second ad in its “Georgia CreditUnions, You'll Like Us Better” campaign at the end of the game,estimating the commercial on WSB-TV, the ABC affiliate, reached878,000 households in metro Atlanta. “Georgia credit unions onceagain made advertising history,” boasted a league press releasewhich stressed that CUs in the state have now been positioned“among the advertising ranks of the country's largest and mostrecognized corporations.” GCUA identified four Georgia CUs asfunding the ad on a cooperative basis and they included: AssociatedCredit Union, Delta Community Credit Union, Georgia Telco CreditUnion and Lockheed Georgia Employees' Federal Credit Union.“Advertising during the most watched network television broadcastof the year enables us to significantly bolster awareness,” saidMichael Mercer, GCUA president/CEO. The willingness of Georgia CUsto fund the endeavor “demonstrates the power of collaboration and areal understanding of the need to be proactive in our approach toattract and retain members.” Both the Georgia and Washingtonleagues stressed that their Super Bowl ads on both TV and radiowould be repeated on local shows during the coming weeks as part ofoverall ad buys made in 2005. GCUA added that it was able to get aSuper Bowl spot just following the game as a result of past adplacements and “collective purchasing power.” In Pittsburgh, CUsalso relied on past co-op ad purchases to win what a spokesmancalled “a very lucky spot” on a post-game ABC show to air apreviously-taped shared branch promotion. “It was simply great tohave a big audience see our ad on a local channel as we celebrateda Steeler victory,” declared Michael Wishnow, senior vice presidentof the Pennsylvania Credit Union Association, which helpednegotiate airtime for the TV ad on behalf of Pittsburgh CUs. PCUAofficials were particularly pleased over the huge ratings spike forthat particular show. “We've been told that the commercial aired at10:58 p.m. and received a 37% market share and when you considerthe typical prime time show gets 8-12%, that's phenomenal,” said aPCUA spokeswoman, adding the six-county Pittsburgh market has apopulation of 1.8 million The shared branch ad is part of asix-month, $80,000 campaign launched last year in the Pittsburghmarket with the ABC station and which is set to resume in 2006. Theads were contracted for by Pennsylvania Credit Union ServiceCenters, a Harrisburg-based CUSO managed by PCUA. Under thecontract, said Wishnow, “the station gives us 40 spots a month butthis time they gave us the bonus spot appearing on the post gameshow,” said Wishnow. While CUs and their leagues were devotingserious attention – and dollars – to the ad buys, CU staffs inWashington State and Pennsylvania were having fun paying off SuperBowl bets which in some instances quickly became charity donations.In one joint statement, GHCU of Seattle and PA HealthCare System ofPittsburgh, said that even though GHCU was obligated to ship a boxload of salmon, chowder and pickles to PA HealthCare System, thetwo CUs agreed to give a $500 cash donation to a Seattle children'shospital. “Instead of sending us the wonderful Seattle items, Iwould change the wager to instead be a donation to Operation Crayonat Children's Hospital & Medical Center in Seattle,” wrote JoeFero, CEO of PA HealthCare. The two emphasized this was anotherexample of the CU “people helping people” philosophy. Rogerson ofKitsap said his CU paired up with Lanco FCU in Lancaster, Pa. andit would be paying off its debt (apple cider and confections) in a$100 donation to a Pennsylvania dog handler, which providesservices to the blind. One Lanco employee who is blind relies onthe service, said Rogerson. Robert Harvey and Norbert Kaczmarek,respective chairmen of the Washington and Pennsylvania Leagues,agreed to change their bets of Riesling wine (Washington) andHershey chocolates to National Credit Union Foundationcontributions. “Bob Harvey has agreed to send $200 to thePennsylvania CU Foundation, and Erie FCU will match it for a totalcontribution to their foundation of $400,” said a Washington Leaguestatement. “Bob, however, is going to send Erie FCU's president aSeattle Metropolitan CU sweatshirt.” Harvey is president/CEO ofSeattle Metropolitan CU and Kaczmarek is CEO of Erie FCU. All told,John Annaloro, president/CEO of the Washington League said itslatest tally shows $1,200 in charitable contributions have beencollected from Washington and Pennsylvania CUs. In addition,Annaloro, whose league offered a case of Riesling wine in case theSeahawks lost, told his counterpart, Jim McCormack at PCUL, theywould be sending him “personally, a sampling of Washington winewhich the WCUL thinks also may be viewed as a charitable donation.”-

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