Case Study :: County Schools Federal Credit Union

Same…but different. The process of branding a financial institution is never without cynicism and humour. But sometimes – straight to the point is what works best. This was one of those projects we did in the summer of 2011.

County Schools Federal Credit Union in Ventura, California had partnered with Gold Coast Broadcasting, LLC to create a campaign to increase membership in the credit union. I was in LA for a conference (read: socializing with crazy actor friends) and the opportunity to meet with GCB and CFSCU was a gift of coincidence. After a short meeting, I knew exactly what they wanted.

County Schools Federal Credit Union prided itself on personal service, products that helped young members build credit, and actually answering the phone when it rang. While we joked about the latter being such a novel idea, it was, in fact, a major piece of the campaign.

The only real challenges in the campaign were a) you had to be connected to the education system (student, teacher or parent of student) to be a member. That was a narrow demographic; and b) we had to use the long-standing, and somewhat dated jingle. I wasn’t sure it would fit in the new direction, but sometimes you have to suck up your creative attitude and find a way to make everyone happy. In the end, the touch of nostalgia brought to the campaign worked.

We focused the radio campaign on the three areas of benefit. CFSCU made banking easy. They were helpful, and they were welcoming. All of these characteristics, we agreed were rather unusual based on how most people (who we knew) felt about banking. So it if was easy, helpful and welcoming – that would be some strange, funny and yet great feelings.

And there it was. I had the campaign

Veteran producer Bob Allen at GCB let me take the reigns (and the mic) on this one and we went to work.

The message was clear and the client understood the campaign. It didn’t just fit. It clearly defined the credit union. Easy, helpful and welcoming.

The end result? It helped solidify the relationship between CFSCU and GCB, and it repositioned the credit union in the community. The goals were met, and I’m pretty certain GCB bought me dinner.

What would we have done differently? I’d have ordered the halibut at dinner. But that’s just me.

CFSCU – Strange Feeling-Credit Builder
CFSCU – Funny Feeling-Helpful Service

CFSCU – Great Feeling-Select Membership