A Lotta Love for the Little Guy!

Have you ever seen the Cadillac “Break Through” ads? You know – the ones where Cadillac Escalades and other models like the CTS are flying down the highway to the pounding beat of Led Zeppelin’s “Rock and Roll.” (I found a grainy version of the original Break Though ad on You Tube.)

That campaign was brilliant for one simple reason – it changed consumer perceptions of Cadillacs. Before Break Through, people perceived the average Cadillac driver to be a 70-something year old grandma with a poodle on her lap. But after Madison Avenue “Pimped Cadillac’s Ride,” the average age of a Cadillac buyer dropped by 20 years! Suddenly, Cadillacs were cool ... and the Hip-Hop generation was showing grandma how to use the accelerator.

The Break Through campaign reminds us that creative approaches to advertising can help consumers view the same product in a completely new light.

Enter CUNA and the “Little Guy” campaign. CUNA introduced the Little Guy to Congress on swearing-in day, distributing more than 16,000 commemorative buttons to members of Congress, Hill staffers and visitors. CUNA also purchased radio ads and placed Little Guy political cartoons in Hill publications.

According to Pat Keefe at CUNA, the Little Guy resembles children’s book character Flat Stanley. He’s a warm and fuzzy everyman. He’s the Little Guy!

The point of the Little Guy campaign is to change the conversation on Capitol Hill. As CUNA’s Mark Wolff put it in the March edition of Credit Union Magazine, the conversation on the Hill “shouldn’t be about what’s best for banks. It should be about who is looking out for hardworking Americans.”

I agree with Mark - and the Little Guy is a great approach because it pokes fun at the up is down logic of bankers and their tendency to spread words like ‘unfettered,’ and ‘morphed' all over the Hill. And just like the Break Through campaign showed consumers that Granny’s Cadillac had a cool, muscular side, the Little Guy shows Congress the reality of who credit unions are – and whom they serve.

If you’d like to learn a little more about the Little Guy, go to www.cuna.org and click on the picture of the Little Guy.

Craver Offers Tips to Get Credit Unions in the News

As plugged earlier in the blog, the NW Chapter meeting featuring Richard Craver happened last night. Craver, the Senior Business Writer for the Winston-Salem Journal and a 22-year veteran journalist, gave some great tips to the audience about how the media works … and how to increase the chances of getting stories placed in the newspaper. Among the suggestions:

• Call or e-mail reporters regularly to pitch your stories. It helps reporters get to know you better (and it helps them gain a better awareness of credit unions, too);
• Contact reporters early in the day with story tips and suggestions;
• The Journal, like many newspapers, publishes staff hires and promotions in its Sunday edition, but the deadline for submitting this material is 5:00 pm Tuesday. Keep this in mind, or you may have to wait a couple of weeks to get your “people” news published;
• Follow up with a reporter when you feel a story element or angle has not been covered. “Some of the best stories I’ve ever done have happened because someone called me up and said, ‘Did you think about this?’”, Craver noted.;
• Let reporters know when you are doing something unique, or providing a product or service that is innovative.

When asked by an audience member why people don’t think of credit unions when they are considering switching financial institutions, Craver, who has won 11 awards in his career for business and sports reporting, suggested that credit unions need to do a better job of telling their story. Craver noted that in a world where banks advertise liberally and many people believe they are not eligible to join a credit union, “If you do not tell people what you offer, people are not going to recognize you.” Hear, hear!

For those credit union folks in NC who would like to do media outreach, the League’s web site has a listing of most of the media outlets across the state. You can access the Media Contacts List at http://www.ncleague.org/www/MediaContact.asp. (Let me know if your town's paper is not represented or some other changes/updates need to be made.)

Also, if you go to the Marketing Resource Center on the web site, you’ll press release templates for various credit union events, including Annual Meeting announcements, staff hires and promotions, as well as charitable events. This section is available at http://www.ncleague.org/www/MarketingResources.asp.

And of course, call me if I can help you with media outreach in NC. The League is always happy to help!

Now shut down your computer and call a reporter immediately!
Jeff

The Luke Johnson Phone Experiment

In my down time, watching You Tube videos is one of my favorite ways to relax and kill some time. (In fact, You Tube is an exceptionally good time killer.) This morning, I was scanning the list of featured videos on the You Tube home page and came across the "Luke Johnson Phone Experiment."

Johnson, a 27-year-old fellow from Gilbert, Arizona, posted a video on You Tube four months ago asking people to call him on his cell phone. There were no rules - just the simple invitation to call day or night and talk about whatever you like.

The result? So far, Johnson has received tens of thousands of calls from all over the world (from as far away as China!), plus numerous news stories on outlets including CNN plus other television and print media. There are also reports that as a result of all the attention Johnson has garnered, you'll soon see him as a cell phone pitch man!

What this points out is that for credit unions, the web offers endless opportunities to communicate with people . Johnson's story also reminds us that you don't have to be fancy or spend a lot of money to get a LOT of attention.

If you'd like to see Johnson's original video posting, go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OkXH7hBbDI0.

To see one of the many news segments about Johnson, go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gyy5x0b4bIE.

And if you'd like to call Johnson, his number is 602-435-3694.

Until next time!
Jeff

Marine Federal Credit Union Sponsors TV ID Theft Segments

The League had its quarterly Risk Management Council meeting last week, and we heard about a really interesting effort underway this month at Marine Federal Credit Union. Marine is sponsoring a series of reports on identity theft to be aired by WCTI-TV, a station in New Bern.

The month-long series of reports will include an interview with Roy Cooper, the State's Attorney General. The station will also share the stories of local ID theft victims.

Marine is really going the extra mile on this effort, however! The credit union is working with the TV station to provide free document shredding for interested viewers. Employees of the credit union will also staff a phone bank from 5:00 to 7:00 pm on February 23rd to answer ID theft questions and offer advice to viewers.

Seems like a great way for Marine to get its name out there over the next month and perhaps just as important, help members and non-members alike with an issue that is much in the news. Way to go!

Until next time!
Jeff

Reporter to Address Northwest Chapter

Greetings from a sloppy Greensboro! After about a half inch of snow this morning, there's a little freezing rain outside this afternoon. We've seen better days around these parts!

Anyway, I wanted anyone out there in "credit union land" who is interested to know that Richard Craver, who is a business reporter for the Winston-Salem Journal, will be the guest speaker at the Northwest Chapter of the NC Credit Union League meeting on Monday, February 12th. Craver is a veteran reporter who covers the financial services industry for the Journal, one of the largest dailies in the state.

Craver is going to give tips to the chapter about how to get better PR and media coverage. The meeting starts at 5:30 pm at the Quality Inn in Winston-Salem. All CU types are welcome - registration information is available on the NC CU League web site at http://www.ncleague.org/www/EventDesc.asp?eventid=324

Kudos to the NW Chapter for scheduling this meeting! If you can't be there, I'll provide a summary on this blog after the fact.

Stay warm!
Jeff