BREMERTON, Wash.-Kitsap Credit Union is fighting the gloom brought on by the recession with a positive branding campaign, known as "Keep Up the Good Work."
The idea stemmed from research performed by JayRay, a communications consultancy based in nearby Tacoma. According to Leah Olson, VP of marketing for the $195-million CU, in response to the poll its 81,000 members, "told us we didn't need to change anything we were doing-they said keep up the good work, we are doing a good job."
When management received those results, Olson said the first reaction was to inform staff of the member appreciation. But KCU was also seeking to repeat back to members an acknowledgement that they are doing a good job.
"They are supporting their families and making our communities work," Olson said. "When we talk about local working families we are not talking about just working for a paycheck, it is for those who work to make our communities a better place."
The campaign was launched using "teaser" ads in newspapers and on transit buses reading, "Keep Up the Good Work," without identifying Kitsap CU's sponsorship.
"We wanted to engage the community and have people wonder, 'Who is doing this? Are they talking to me?'," Olson said.
In the weeks leading up to the "reveal," each Kitsap employee received a series of three greeting cards, also with no clue as to the source. Olson said the first card had a portion of the campaign logo; just one of what eventually would be four colors. Card No. 1 had the word "local" on the front, and inside were keywords such as "community," "trust" and "relationships." The second card was headlined with the word "working," as defined inside by "pride," "satisfaction," "fulfillment" and "enrichment." The third card had "family" in bold, inside were "mom," "dad," "kids," "grandparents" and "foundation."
"The cards slowly revealed the logo and had the keywords," said Olson. "The keywords came from a JayRay study that asked members what the credit union meant to them."
Kitsap revealed itself as sponsor using billboards that attached its logo and name to the slogan "Keep Up the Good Work." The logo was featured on the credit union's home page, with a link to further information. TV ads were aired to give compliments to local working families regarding their lives and their passion.
"The strategy for the campaign was brand enhancement; the focus was never on bringing in new business," she said, noting Kitsap has "a pretty healthy market share" in Bremerton, which is connected to the Seattle metro area by a five-mile isthmus. "That has been the most fun about the entire process-we are encouraging people."
Kurt Jacobson, president of JayRay, explained, "Given its significant market share in the area, it was time to do a good branding push rather than to try for cross-sales or member referrals-those will come later. My experience shows these types of campaigns have a positive effect."
Kitsap wanted to send a specific message to a target audience: working families, Jacobson continued, before adding, "This does not preclude retirees or trust funders with a lot of money, but the point was to reach those members."
After its sponsorship was revealed, Olson said one person wrote to say "Your new campaign is a refreshing moment in what has otherwise felt like a turbulent time."
"Response has been very positive," Olson said. "We continue to get feedback at all of our branch locations, and everywhere I go when I wear my name badge-which now has the 'Keep Up the Good Work' slogan-I get positive comments.
