Next-level marketing

Todd Barduson shared his passion for veterans’ issues the first day he stepped into MY Credit Union in Bloomington, Minn. Six years later, this dedication still drives his work as vice president of marketing at the $396 million asset institution.

“Our credit union is uniquely positioned about two miles from the Fort Snelling National Cemetery,” he says.

The cemetery holds a special place in his heart: his younger brother is buried there because their father was a veteran. “I’ve spent a fair amount of time visiting him and other relatives there,” Barduson says.

His concern for veterans resulted in a CUNA Marketing & Business Development Council Diamond Award-winning marketing campaign: the inaugural Fall Classic Cornhole Invitational Tournament, which benefits Minnesota veterans.

It’s a prime example of how credit unions incorporate concern for community into their marketing efforts.

Diamond Awards recognize credit unions at the pinnacle of marketing and business development. The 2023 awards drew nearly 1,300 entries.

Here are four award-winning campaigns from 2023, their goals, and what the credit unions learned from their efforts.

Greatest impact

MY Credit Union won the Greatest Impact and Most Sentimental Diamond Awards for its cornhole tournament. Greatest Impact highlights the entry that “demonstrates the greatest impact on an audience,” while Most Sentimental “best draws an emotional response from its audience.”

The credit union hit both marks with the tournament, which builds on years of veteran-focused involvement. Early in Barduson’s tenure, he spearheaded an effort called Flags for Fort Snelling, which raised $400,000 to restore the tradition of putting a U.S. flag on every Fort Snelling National Cemetery headstone.

That experience led directly to the cornhole tournament. Barduson was at a local event when a veteran approached him and asked, “Aren’t you the guy that helped Flags for Fort Snelling? I’m a veteran, I have an organization, and I was wondering if you could help me.”

Barduson listened to the veteran’s story of serving in the Gulf War, dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder, and attempting suicide. “He was looking for help. I said, ‘Sure, I’ll help you. I just don’t know what I can do for you yet.’”

Barduson had seen cornhole on TV and thought a tournament would provide something different than the typical golf outing to raise money for veterans’ causes.

“Cornhole is inviting for everyone,” Barduson says, noting about 120 teams participated in the inaugural tournament in 2022. One credit union employee who uses a wheelchair participated on a team with his mother, appreciating that he was included.

“With an event like this, you put out the word and people are willing to help,” Barduson says. “It’s a safe place to have camaraderie. We don’t promote any product, and we don’t have a booth. Just come play cornhole and have fun.”

To foster that atmosphere, MY Credit Union purchased 64 sets of cornhole boards, found an open parking lot, and began acquiring sponsors and vendors. It identified a recipient pool of 16 nonprofits, including organizations that provide veterans with service dogs, take them to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, or help injured veterans play hockey.

While the inaugural tournament garnered several national and state marketing awards, its main goal was to make sure the veterans felt welcomed, thanked, and honored, Barduson says.

The positive feedback encouraged MY Credit Union to repeat the tournament this fall. “The more people who know about it and contribute, the better.”

Next: Virtual financial education

Financial education

SAFE Federal Credit Union in Sumter, S.C., won the Best of Show Award for its SAFE Cents Financial Education initiative. The video series aims to improve members’ financial well-being.

“Financial education has been important to us for a long time,” says Bruce Copeland, vice president of marketing at the $1.8 billion asset credit union. “But over the past 18 months, we’ve elevated it into an integral part of SAFE Federal’s brand, mindset, and culture.

“Almost everyone in the industry has a section of their website devoted to financial education,” he continues. “There’s nothing wrong with that, but to really make a difference we needed to up our game.”

The SAFE Cents video series provides a fun approach to delivering practical information on financial topics such as credit scores and debt management.

“We pulled together information people need about financial services, their account, and how to manage it—real-life, usable stuff put together in a way that’s entertaining enough to make people want to watch,” Copeland says. “It felt like the right topic at the right time. Not being super serious and having some fun with it felt like the right tone.”

The credit union’s marketing and advertising teams worked with the on-camera talent to develop eight SAFE Cents videos. It shot the videos, which range from 45 seconds to two and a half minutes in length, over the course of two days.

“If you want to actively engage folks, video is the way to go. The shorter the better,” Copeland says. “Video is a perfect medium if you want to clearly show examples of what you’re trying to communicate.”

The marketing team’s job wasn’t finished after the series’ August 2022 launch. They worked to make sure they were seen by as many people as possible.

The series is advertised on broadcasts and 30-second teasers, encouraging listeners to visit SAFE Federal’s website or YouTube channel. The YouTube videos average 60,000 views monthly, while digital channels advertising the videos receive roughly 119,000 views per month. Website pre-roll teasers account for another 40,000 views each month.

“It’s easy to put good material together,” Copeland says. “But unless you deliver it in a way that engages folks, they aren’t going to take part.”

At the same time, the credit union doesn’t try to beat members over the head with financial education.

“When it begins to have the feel of a sales pitch, you run the risk of undermining what you’re trying to get across,” he says. “We try to do it in a way that doesn’t come across as heavy-handed or condescending. Hopefully, it’s entertaining.”

Copeland says members watch most SAFE Cents videos in their entirety, garnering about two million total views. “That tells me that members are staying with it and finding value in it,” he says. “We hope they put it to good use.”

Brilliant use of art

TRUE Community Credit Union in Jackson, Mich., won a Brilliant Use of Art Award for the “thought-provoking approach to design and execution” in its “Digital Refresh-Upgrade to Digital Banking Platform” campaign.

Chrissy Siders, president/CEO at the $721 million asset credit union, says the digital refresh stemmed from significant changes to the credit union.

At the start of the pandemic, “we changed our charter, changed our name, merged, and changed our name again,” she says.

Even before these changes, the credit union’s leaders had identified a need to improve their digital platforms. “Our app at the time was going down almost every payday Friday,” Siders says, which put the credit union’s reputation at risk. “We needed to think about what we had to do to show up in the way our members would expect us to.”

Once the contract with its previous provider expired, TRUE Community set out to give members better service and more options. At the same time, it wanted to compete in an increasingly technologically advanced marketplace.

More than just offering members products and services, the marketing team set out to develop an app that brought the credit union to life, Siders says.

Whether members use the website, app, or branch, they should see “a constant, seamless message and the same beautiful use of our brand and art,” she says.

Siders believes service is no longer a differentiator. “What differentiates you is having a clear purpose, mission, vision, and values—and living them every day.”

Therefore, the credit union designed a digital campaign that was fun, using a pet theme to develop a lighthearted feel everyone could rally around.

Next: 'The right people in the right roles'

Siders recognizes that the success of the refresh relied on having the right people in the right roles, spearheaded by Creative Brand Manager Alexa Irvine.

A project team sat through demos with three or four companies before selecting Alkami. This allowed TRUE Community to have one vendor for both online banking and the mobile app.

The goal: “Transformational change and an omnichannel experience for our members,” Siders says. “Whether they go online on their computer, an iPad, or their phone, they’re going to get the same experience.”

The new digital platforms also added functionality, allowing members to pull in external accounts, pay people with Zelle, control their cards while traveling, market relevant services, and more.

Changes on the scale of TRUE Community’s digital refresh required education. Upon rolling out the new platforms in October 2022, credit union staff supported members through the refresh, demonstrating the app and how to conduct transactions.

“We added that intimate rollout, and I heard so many members say, ‘Oh, my gosh, I love that,’” Siders says. “We exist to inspire the pursuit of a life well lived. Our mission is to cultivate legacy-defining moments for the people and places we serve for generations to come.”

Email excellence

Florence (Ala.) Federal Credit Union’s International Credit Union (ICU) Day giveaway started with a simple idea: celebrate members.

“We’d already anticipated celebrating ICU Day, but it was going to be a simple lobby type of celebration,” says Gwen Crenshaw, marketing director at the $69 million asset credit union. “I wanted to do something that served two purposes: celebrate members and continue the discourse around the credit union difference.”

Members enjoy both the credit union’s highly personalized service and giveaways, Crenshaw says, so she combined the two, centering an award-winning email campaign around ICU Day.

Members entered for a chance to win a $250 gift card by answering a 10-question survey.

Florence Federal used the responses to find new leads, see what members like about the credit union, and determine what members would like in the future.

“The purpose was to focus on what members want and structure future initiatives around what they find most useful,” Crenshaw says.

The only expense for the ICU Day giveaway was the cost of the $250 prize because all marketing was done through organic posts via Constant Contact and Facebook. It led to more than 1,000 leads from current members.

The credit union held another ICU Day giveaway in October 2023, with a greater focus on mobile deposit and person-to-person payments. The main purpose again was to celebrate members.

The promotion shows that success doesn’t necessarily require a big budget, Crenshaw says.

“Just because you have a small budget doesn’t mean you can’t get quality information and use the resources available to you,” she says. “Members know we’re in it for them. They enjoy their interactions with us, so they want to follow up and read our emails. “They’re involved in the credit union because they trust the services we offer.”