SEATTLE -- A humorous TV campaign produced by Community ChoiceCredit Union of Des Moines, Iowa and called "Consolidate YourBills" featuring marketing staffers wearing "Bills" T-shirts, wonthe top prize at the Marketing Association of Credit Unions' 2007Awards Competition held here.

The MACQUEE award, MAC's Best in Show, was given to Josh Cook,director of marketing, and Matt Sheridan, marketing specialist, forCommunity Choice's "Bills" video spots all of which were donein-house.

The series of four 30-second ads also called "Don't Play Gameswith Your Bills" were aimed at promoting growth in home equityloans and increasing overall CU awareness, the CU said.

The Iowa CU said it saw an $8 million net increase in homeequity loans, 166% over its marketing goal plus 2,800 new members.Cook said, "This was the largest home equity loan growth year thatthe CU has ever experienced." He said that the CU gets regularinquiries about when the next series of ads will be aired.

The Bills ads featured a group of men wearing white shirtsemblazoned with "BILL" on the front playing Battleship, Yahtzee andEmergency to the chagrin of a homeowner.

A slightly more daring "Bills Keeping You Up at Night" spot hadthe same "BILLs" climbing into bed with a couple and preventingthem from sleeping.

Community Choice said it limited production costs by turningtheir marketing department into the production team--the concept,writing, shooting and editing were all done in-house.

"We are honored to receive this award and hope that it offers agreen light to people to feel as though they can be different withtheir marketing efforts in order to stand out from the masses,"said Cook.

Community Choice was one of more than 350 entries from 125 CUsin the annual nationwide competition. Other finalists for theMACQUEE award were America's Christian CU, Glendora, Calif; PacificService CU, Walnut Creek, Calif; Boeing Employees CU, Seattle; andArizona State CU, Phoenix.

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