Q. Are your advertising dollars well spent?
MARC LANGLAND
President and chief executive,
Northrim Bank
Anchorage
Absolutely. We're almost four years old, and as a new bank, we had to establish ourselves in the marketplace with a proper image. About the only way we could do it in a short period was to do a good marketing campaign. We've won quite a few national awards with our stuff.
We've used TV, radio, and print. We've tried to be a little different so people would pay attention to what we were saying.
On the TV side, they used me in part of the ads. It's team sports - the small bank against the big bank - and I'm slamdunking a basketball and the big banks are guarding me. We played hockey, and the third one we've done this year is baseball.
There's a very direct correlation between how much we're in the marketplace and the number of accounts we open.
ROBERT P. DELAY
President and chief executive,
Conservative Savings Bank
Omaha
We try to diversify our advertising in several ways, and I think, by and large, we're getting our dollars' worth.
We're mainly in print and direct mail. The television advertising in our market is almost prohibitive as far as we're concerned because we're not one of the larger institutions.
We've done some commercials... so I didn't mean to say we were out of television. It's effective advertising [but] is expensive. We've had customers pose for shots. [We ask:] How do you like your service at Conservative Savings Bank? When it's direct mail, it's product-oriented and specific.
With our budget, it's rush the market, put a lot of stuff out and then be quiet.
We try to use the media as we can in terms of press releases and so on, and that's been somewhat effective - and without cost, of course.
THEODORE S. MASON
President and chief executive,
Humboldt Bank
Eureka, Calif.
I believe that they are well spent. We're a five-year-old institution, and most of our advertising is not product specific. It's more image in nature.
We have used print, television, and quite a bit of radio advertising. We also use billboards.
One time, about a year and a half out, we did a product-specific advertisement for deposits. We knew from the increase in activity that it worked very well.
I know from the comments I've received that it's helped us grow and it's an expense of doing business.
We have feedback all the time about our advertising - you know, "I saw you on TV," or "I heard your ad, I liked your jingle."
We use the term "Financial partners here for you." We've also used "The right place to bank is right here at home."
