BEAVERTON, Ore. — Belonging to a credit union is so logical, why wouldn't intelligent consumers choose CUs over banks?
That's the question posed by an awareness campaign running on Oregon's television stations. The campaign was coordinated by the CUAssociation of Oregon and paid for by voluntary contribution from 49 of the CUAO's 73 member credit unions (there are 83 total CUs in the state). The CUAO said it put together a task force of eight CU marketers representing all regions of the Beaver State, and several asset classes, to be part of the creative process.
Each 30-second spot begins with a list of three activities smart people naturally would avoid. In the first, the announcer's voiceover says (and the animation plays out the dire consequences): "You wouldn't cut in line in front of a biker gang; you wouldn't open a gate with a 'Beware of Dog' sign on it; you wouldn't go salmon fishing next to a grizzly bear... so why would you do your banking anywhere besides a credit union?" The second spot notes people would avoid using a beehive for a football, diving into a pool without water, and lighting a match when they smell gas.
Laura Wieking, director of communications for the CUAO, said the association did a segmented media buy to insure a truly statewide campaign. "We targeted adults ages 25 to 50," she explained. "We went with an animated campaign in hopes of picking up more younger viewers."
The CUAO pursued a strategy of a heavier media buy for a shorter period of time, Wieking added, with a goal of reaching 60% of the target audience a minimum of 2.5 times per week.
CUAO's Pam Leavitt said the media buy is $250,000, but thanks to its relationships with TV stations it is getting a value of $350,000 worth of on-air time. "I'm really proud of the process," Leavitt said. "The task force of marketing professionals supplied a lot of feedback in guiding this campaign and going with something new and fresh. I'm not home much to watch TV and I've seen it several times, so our buy must be strong. I've heard from several legislators that they've seen it and liked it."
A critical part of the effort is pre- and post-campaign surveys to measure the impact the spots have on public awareness of CUs. Wieking said one early positive sign is hits to the CUAO's "You-Belong.org" website are up 88% since the campaign started. The site is a legacy from a previous awareness campaign.
"The spots are kind of different from what we've done before, so they are catching people's attention," Wieking assessed. "Our CEO heard people in a hotel lobby discussing credit unions after a spot came on. It was perfect timing."
View the spots at
