Denver Community CU Serves Up Real Reasons to Join

Denver Community Credit Union has found there is no such thing as too much honesty. Its blunt series of three videos that peel away the typical marketing buzzwords to reveal the real reason why people should join the credit union have been a hit. Released on YouTube, airing in branches and on the Denver Community CU website, the spots deliver the messages with a mix of kinetic typography and an edgy voiceover rant designed to connect with Gen Y. Incensed over the big bank bailouts, the credit union's marketing team, including manager Bradley Blue and marketing/social media specialist Nicole Anguiano, started talking about how much fun it would be to just be real and upfront about their motivation.

"Most of the copy for the spots came straight from our own frustrations about how the banks use smoke and mirrors and all we had to do was just be blunt and honest," Blue said. "As we were talking about it we realized wait, we can actually do that--be honest about what motivates us."

The initial result was a postcard sent to members that simply stated, "If we got to use $700 billion of your tax money with no strings attached...well our postcards would be a little fancier, I'll tell you that much." From there the team started working on copy for video spots.

Interested in kinetic typography, the team experienced success with their second attempt as Denver Community CU contacted Jeff Smith-Luedke via Facebook, not realizing that the talented video producer/philosopher had his own following.

"We had no idea whatsoever that he had achieved some degree of fame for his rants when we hired him," Blue said. "We had only seen his work in kinetic typography. But his narration was exactly what we wanted for the spots. What was great is that as he worked on this with us he got it about credit unions and started talking about it on his own. It was really exciting that he was so fired up about our message. I think we ended up getting a lot of extra exposure because the people who follow him all watched it and shared it."

Blue said the overall reaction has been positive and the team has been analyzing its tracking data to determine its next steps.

"YouTube has pretty good metrics so we track everything from how many views to where they go once they click to go to our website," Blue said. "We've also been getting really good feedback about the spots which has helped us decide where we should run them to engage specific target audiences."

Thinking of the larger credit union industry picture, Blue says the spots can be customized for individual credit unions, outside their competitive market, and may be the answer for the often discussed yet never acted upon national credit union awareness campaign.

Watch the video

BubbaLuvs Erie General Electric FCU

You wouldn't expect a man who wears oversized sunglasses, a black sequin cape and has unparalleled dance moves named BubbaLuv to be a credit union super fan--and that is what Erie General Electric Federal Credit Union has been counting on. A longtime credit union member, BubbaLuv also happens to be a local celebrity/sports enthusiast who has partnered with Erie General Electric FCU to spread the word about the credit union difference. The BubbaLuvsthat.com microsite has helped create an increase of 33% over normal quarterly checking account signups with 59% of the new sign-ups being young adults.

According to EGEFCU CEO Gail Cook, while working with BubbaLuv may be a bit unorthodox in traditional banking it is something the credit union embraces and his enthusiasm has been exactly what was needed.

"If a man in sweatbands and a cape loves the credit union, then so can you," Cook said. "Many young adults feel disenfranchised with the big financial institutions and their role in the recent economic collapse. BubbaLuv helps attract young adults and remind them that we're local, strong, dedicated to meeting their needs and it's okay to have a little fun along the way too."

EGEFCU Chief Marketing Officer Trent Mason added that the fact that BubbaLuv is a real person has really made all the difference.

"It's that authenticity that people are connecting with. He's not some character we created," Mason said. "He is a real person who is a member, has been doing fun things locally and has his own fan base. He speaks to people not as a spokesperson but as a big fan."

BubbaLuv has been a big draw at various events in and around Erie and commercials and video spots featuring Bubba and other credit union members have been a hit.

"They want to meet BubbaLuv in person and we intend to support him as he expands his audience," Mason said. "Many of our members have already seen him at our events and they frequently comment on how much they admire his passion for the credit union.

"For Bubba, it's a chance to stay involved locally and tell his story; for us, it's a chance to support someone who has a lot of energy and who shares many of our same goals."

Watch the video

Listerhill CU Connects with Gen Y Through Young & Free

Listerhill Credit Union tapped Young & Free to help connect with Gen Y and the community has embraced spokesperson Chris Anderson.

Developed by British Columbia-based Currency Marketing, Young & Free is a financial management program designed to engage 19-to-25-year-olds to effectively manage their money through a microsite, social media and other nontraditional media.

After an online audition, peers declared Anderson the winner due to his ability to communicate what young people really want from their financial instution in a way that resonated--through music. The reason why Young & Free works is because of its authenticity. Anderson has complete control of everything he delivers; Listerhill CU isn't behind the scenes pulling the strings. The result is fresh, relevant news, ideas, tips and general information that the target audience can relate to.

As the winner he earned a full-time position worth $30,000 per year, a MacBook Pro computer, a Canon HD camcorder and an iPhone.

As spokesperson Anderson has been busy doing everything from writing blog posts, creating videos and producing at least one segment for the Living Young & Free Show a month to attending credit union events.

With more than $400 million in assets, the Muscle Shoals, Ala.-based credit union is one of the smallest credit unions to join the Young & Free family.

Instant Insights /

MAC Marketing NOW Finalists Tell Their Stories

Related Stories

Recommended For You