WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — In a ploy to build membership, the $200 million Members Credit Union is relying on blogs, low-cost online ads and home-grown videos to showcase its three-year old "Football Pick 'Em" game promotion that now has more than 1,500 players.
The entire branding effort, which last week started running ads on the Web site of a TV station
and two area newspapers, is aimed at stressing the CU's "human side," said Matt Davis, director of public relations.
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The online ads, costing $1,500, are appearing on the Web site of a Winston-Salem TV station and local papers in Hope Mills and Hickory. The videos, which include one of president/CEO Jack Braswell, were viewed over 2,700 times in their first week, said Davis.
The quirky videos and the entire game promotion, now open for the first time to the public, was drawing wide praise in North Carolina last week as "new and innovative examples" of viral advertising.
"We're trying to figure out how to really harness the Web for advertising and so we have expanded this NFL pick the winners contest beyond our members to the general public," said Davis.
Football Pick' em is a free, online contest the CU started in 2004 to help identify members who have Internet access at home, said Davis. A weekly e-mail is sent out to all players to announce weekly, monthly, and overall winners with top prizes including a gas grill and a laptop computer.
The videos, produced with a handheld camcorder and some simple video editing software, star several CU employees including vice president of marketing Eric Stiff as well as intern Drew Saia in addition to Braswell.
"Too often, financial institutions seem scared to show their senses of humor–their personalities," said Davis, who directed the videos. "These videos are proof positive that Members Credit Union embraces our differentiating 'work hard, play hard' philosophy."
The videos are accessible from Members' Web site and in anticipation of high traffic were uploaded to YouTube to reduce the strain on the CU's servers, said Davis.
"While the public response has been terrific, a neat byproduct has been employee reaction to the videos," said Braswell, the CEO. "We won't win any Oscars for our performances, but we have definitely made people laugh, smile, and think of our credit union in a different light."
Members, with 51,000 members and serving 410 firms, has 17 branches throughout the state.
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