DUBLIN, Ohio — Citing success in Utah and other states, a group of Ohio credit unions led by the Ohio Credit Union League have adopted the "Bob the Credit Union Guy" ad campaign for a 2008 statewide launch.
"We looked at several of the awareness campaigns out there and we thought these ads were funny and really hit the mark in pushing consumer choice," said Tammy Jones, a campaign coordinator and chief operating officer of the $95 million Credit Union of Ohio.
Under the schedule, the TV and radio ads originally produced several years ago by the Utah League of Credit Unions and licensed to other leagues, will run in some seven to nine media markets in Ohio starting probably in January.
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Jones, who also is president of the league's Central Ohio Chapter, said funding for the ad series, which has an average Joe kind of theme but with a stress on the CU difference, will come from participating chapters "with some deciding the campaign would not be cost effective in their markets."
The league has 15 chapters of which three, said Jones, "took the lead in doing the research on what we thought would work best for us." Besides Central Ohio, the Northwest and Miami Valley chapters also took part in viewing commercials through marketing committees.
The current awareness campaign in central Ohio, budgeted at $25,000-$30,000 a year and run through the league, "is ok but we know we needed to produce some fresh material and the 'Bob' campaign has a simple, effective message about membership and the credit union difference," she said.
Some other awareness/advocacy campaigns seen by the Ohio marketers "came across as too much anti-bank and we don't think that is a problem for us now," said Jones.
The Utah League for years, ever since its pitched battle in the Utah legislature and courts with the banking lobby, has promoted its "Bob" radio ads as a vehicle containing a positive CU theme though only a handful have signed licensing agreements. Many other leagues have said they like the Utah series but prefer for cost and other reasons to develop their own brand.
Last spring the "Bob-CU Difference" campaign debuted in Montana through the Montana Credit Union Network. It previously has been tried by the New Jersey Credit Union League and refined earlier by the Credit Union Association of Oregon.
Jones said production on the "Bob" ads to include an Ohio tagline was being worked on last week by a Utah production firm under the licensing agreement.
The TV ads will run on both network and cable stations as well as a weather line channel. She estimates the message would reach 75% of Ohio's media market. Later this fall she expects to learn more about specific media buys being handled by Ohio agencies.
The marketing panel representing the three chapters agreed on "Bob" during the annual meeting of chapter leaders held by the league last September at league headquarters.
"Right now we're pretty excited," said Jones.
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