SCHEREVILLE, Ind. — Advance Financial Federal Credit Union's latest promotion showed local young adults the benefits of "Better Than Free Checking." Running from April to June, the promotion features included no minimum balance, interest paid on all balances, no monthly services, free online banking and bill pay, and free "lifetime" checks. As an added incentive, AFFCU gave every member who opened a "Better Than Free Checking" account a logo gift umbrella and the chance to win a new Apple iPod Video. Marketing support included newspaper and online advertising, movie theater slides, and direct mail postcards, all featuring the central marketing message: "Checking that gives you more to tune into." "Our purpose with this promotion was not only to obtain new members, but also to solidify the relationships with our members by growing our base of checking accounts," said Advance Financial's Marketing Director Samantha Knight. "We especially wanted to show young adults age 25 to 35 that we understand and can help them effectively address financial needs at their particular life-stage." Over 200 "Better Than Free Checking" accounts were opened, of which 50 were new credit union members. "The success of this promotion was astonishing," Knight said. "Not only did we achieve our goal for generating 'Better Than Free Checking' accounts, but we were also able to attract new members and begin valuable relationships with them."