FORT WAYNE, Ind.-Even though it hasn't had a marketing department chief for months, one credit union here has been able to take control of its message in the local media and turned one into a strong relationship with a TV station.
While watching his local CBS affiliate recently, Three Rivers FCU VP of Member Services Jim Johnson perked up when hearing a teaser for a series on the credit crunch in the local economy. Then he spotted the use of a stock photo of one of the CUs branches and knew he had a way in. "When I started hearing the hook, I stopped what I was doing because I thought we had something we could talk about. I was just trying to get our name in there and when I saw the branch I thought, 'There it is,'" he said.
Though PR isn't part of his job description, Johnson e-mailed the reporter and eventually brought her in to talk with another executive staff member for a story. While that story was not exclusively focused on the credit union, the piece still delivered the message that "you can still get a loan in Fort Wayne, Indiana and our name was attached to that," Johnson said. "It was another month later and I got an e-mail stating that they were ready for round two."
The first story idea pitched to him was about student lending, but Johnson demurred and suggested that a human-interest piece on the CU saving members through refinancing and loan modifications would be stronger. The reporter agreed and went with a story about a couple who had their mortgage refinanced, along with credit cards and an auto loan, saving them several hundred dollars per month. By guiding the reporter away from a story that was not relevant for the CU to one that focused on one of the $531-million CU's core strengths, Johnson was able to boost brand image and get an educational message to the public for free.
"They got to see in action what it is we do. People recognize our brand, but there is still a disconnect about what it is exactly that we do. But in [that story] they got to see a tangible example," he explained. "You have real life people stating this is what happened and this is the real solution that was provided. There's an awful lot of power in that."
John Garner, head of collections and who handled the modification, also participated in a live online chat on the affiliate's website at the station's request. Agreeing to the chat session, along with opening up a branch for video and getting members on-camera to talk about the CU, was all part of the give and take between source and journalist that can lead to a positive story, Johnson noted.
"We're trying to get in the media's mind that we're a trusted resource. We're willing to take the time to work with them, to offer suggestions, and we helped them create a good story. They wanted to go with a totally different angle," he said. "If I have a pet peeve is that I'm really tired of being the best-kept secret in town. The banks are very bold with the flowery ads they have. We can say all those things and we actually back it up and demonstrate it in real, tangible ways." As he did after the first story, Johnson sent a detailed and personal thank you e-mail to the reporter, and he is hopeful that keeping this line of communication open will lead to yet more free publicity for Three Rivers FCU. "There's no guarantee of what is coming other than I know she is going to write me back. I know she will."
And in fact Johnson was exactly right. Just two days after the interview for this story was completed, the CBS reporter asked for the credit union to be involved in a piece on the new credit card legislation.
