OKLAHOMA CITY — Using an offbeat but innovative pitch to attract the youth market via YouTube technology, the $1.5 billion Tinker Federal Credit Union last week launched a "make your own video" promotion and Web site contest with a financial education theme.
"We thought we'd give this a try and see how it goes," said Matt Stratton, senior vice president of marketing, in detailing the Feb. 1 online launch of the "What Money Means To Me Video Contest." The winner will receive a $2,000 scholarship for producing the most creative 90-second video.
As part of the promotion, Tinker said it was sending out e-mails this week to 600 college professors and select high school officials across the state debuting the competition and inviting young people to submit entries using a special Tinker Web site, www.whatmoneymeanstome.org.
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The contest has strict rules dealing with "inappropriate" submissions, said Stratton, who emphasized that the goal is to attract a youthful audience that would look favorably on credit unions as a place to eventually open an account. "I can say the idea has already been met with great enthusiasm from our business development reps who have talked about it with their contacts at schools and universities," he added.
A panel of film judges will winnow out best entries with viewers selecting their favorites online. The contest will continue through April 1. The contest is also being promoted through Tinker's Facebook page. Eventually, Tinker may also make use of MySpace, said Stratton.
On the 'whatmoneymeans' Web site, participants are asked to "think about what money means to you" and then "show us in any way you want in a video you make yourself."
The Tinker Web site points out that "'what money means to me' can mean different things to different people. So we want you to create a video that expresses your point of view, and hopefully other people will 'get it' too."
"The videos compete head-to-head," according to the Web site, with viewers voting for their favorite each round.
"The winning video of each match-up moves up the bracket for a chance to compete for the Grand Prize," the site read. "Runner-up videos that do not make the bracket will be eligible to win the View n' Vote 'fan favorite' prize." Among the lesser prizes is a $50 "iTune" gift card.
Helping design the "What Money Means to Me" Web site and materials is Third Degree Advertising of Oklahoma City.
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