Alabama Consumers Urged to ‘Dump Your Bank’

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – While credit unions around the country are making advertising points with subtle digs against their banking rivals, there’s nothing subtle about the Alabama CU campaign to get consumers to dump their banks. The multi-media ads play off the troubles consumers may have with their banks, with separate spots reading: ‘Lose my account number,’ or ‘You can keep the toaster,’ and underneath both the web address: DumpYourBank.com, where consumers can learn more about credit unions. The ads also introduce a new character to the bank-credit union wars: a Dr. H. Gruber, a financial relationship therapist who helps consumers cope with breaking up with their bank. One ad shows the good doctor as the ‘Grubinator,’ a half-man, half-cyborg who is hellbent on financial wellness. The ad features 11 steps to financial wellness (reasons why credit unions are better than banks), an e-mail intervention to help friends get out of unhealthy relationships with their banks and a game where users catch falling bankers in a dumpster. The TV, print, outdoor and online ads were designed by Sullivan-St. Clair, out of Mobile, Ala.