'Bob' Goes On Tour, Bringing Message Of CU Difference To N.J.

Bob, The Credit Union Guy, is heading for New Jersey.

Through an agreement between the New Jersey and Utah credit union leagues, the advertising campaign featuring "Bob" will soon be appearing across the state of New Jersey.

The Utah League of CU's initially launched its "The Difference: YOU" campaign in November 2004, when ULCU decided to create a branding effort to communicate the benefits of credit union membership. The campaign was designed to respond, in a positive and upbeat way, to the negative bank attacks permeating the state.

"The Difference: YOU" features "everyman" Bob, The Credit Union Guy, in every day locations, talking to everyday people about the credit union difference.

Choosing to go with the campaign created by ULCU was the easy part: figuring out how to make it work in New Jersey-arguably one of the most expensive and challenging media markets in the country, nestled as it is between New York and Philadelphia-was the hard part.

To do that, NJCUL is trying to build grassroots support among its credit unions to get as many to buy into the co-op that funds such efforts through "fair share voluntary contributions."

Plans to air commercials, run billboards and explore a variety of other media are underway.

The NJ Advertising Co-operative currently has 31 members who pay to support advocacy, advertising and consumer awareness.

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