WASHINGTON-The Maryland and District of Columbia Credit Union Association's largest advertising campaign to date accomplished two important goals in 2009-spreading the word about credit unions and helping CUs understand the power of cooperative advertising.
According to Chief Services Officer Paul Rosenberger, the latter may be the most important accomplishment. "This is a multi-phase campaign, and I think the first year is about gaining traction with our credit unions, making them aware of the benefits of cooperative advertising, and getting greater buy-in. We did that. Credit unions in this region are understanding that brand equity is something developed through a high-profile campaign. And no single credit union can afford to do that alone."
Themed "What's In It For Me?" the three-year campaign launched in September and is designed to educate consumers through the Maryland, Washington, D.C. metro, Baltimore metro, and Northern Virginia regions about the benefits of joining a credit union ("
Initial results indicate the campaign caught consumers' attention, Rosenberger said. WhatsInItForMe.org, revamped for the campaign, received 87% more visitors from September through November, compared with the same time last year. The league also conducted a survey of more than 700 consumers in the Maryland and D.C. regions, asking them if they saw the campaign. "The survey showed that consumers were aware of the campaign and that they had favorable impressions of credit unions," Rosenberger said. "So we moved some dials."
The campaign also was effective on the CU financing front, taking in $215,000 from credit unions to drive the effort, $30,000 better than its first-year goal. "Next year we hope to raise $350,000, and I think we can do that. It's been a very good campaign and one we can build on."
