The Portland-based Maine Credit Union League launched a radio advertisement initiative this month that includes 2,000 paid and no-charge 60-second commercials that will air throughout the summer highlighting the SurF campaign and the credit union movement.
In addition to the radio spots, the campaign includes billboards, taglines and, "other value-added mentions that were negotiated as part of the buy adding up to close to $85,000 in value added exposure," the League said. According to the MCUL, research has shown that Maine has a higher-than-average radio listenership and that number increases during the summer months.
The SurF campaign at the forefront of the ad buy is said to be the largest surcharge-free ATM network in the state, serving more than 665,000 CU members. Debra Trautman, VP of corporate marketing at the league, believes that the ads will be successful in capturing people on the go.
In addition to traditional radio, the campaign will also hit the digital listening market by being featured on the radio application Pandora. Megan Curtis, corporate communications and marketing coordinator at the league, said the campaign also focuses on social media, YouTube, and advertisements through mobile weather and event applications used by Maine residents.
"Our campaign is developed around a geo-digital program, which includes Google AdWords, display, and remarketing," Curtis said, "One of our most popular ads featured a family of triplets – receiving over 33,000 views on YouTube."
The radio advertisements will feature member testimonials that have been used for the last year to give insight into the credit union difference, "and the value proposition credit unions supply each day to their members," the marketing coordinator said.
MCUL also runs a yearly outreach campaign that includes television, digital and print advertising, festivals and sports sponsorships which are all accessible through a standalone website that acts as the League's hub for outreach initiatives.
"We have already seen an increase in visits to our consumer-focused website at mainecreditunions.org since the latest radio campaign began so that is a positive sign that our messages are being heard by consumers," Trautman said, MCUL notes that 80% of site visits are from a mobile device.
