In the weeks leading up to the grand opening of AltaOne Federal Credit Union ^[1] latest branch, the credit union sent out a street team to conduct random acts of kindness. The hitch? No one knew AltaOne was behind the good deeds. AltaOne waited to uncloak themselves until the night of the grand opening.

For four weeks, the credit union’s street team traveled a 3-mile radius around the new branch location, anonymously conducting “good deeds,” such as paying a family’s dinner bill, or surprising a local fire department with a free lunch. The only information the street team provided was a simple printed card with little more than a web address, GoodDeedsDoneDaily.com. ^[2]

COMMUNITY PRESENCE
The ‘Good Deeds’ street team in uniform, and wrapped vehicle graphics.

Simon+ Associates, ^[3] the marketing firm behind the AltaOne promotion believes it is imperative marketers focus less on advertising and more on creative ideas that provoke real interest.

“The promotion was designed as a viral campaign to engage the community and residents on a personal level, while generating increased interest by concealing the client’s name,” the agency said.

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The promotional microsite was updated often with the street team’s latest good deeds. Visitors could read about good things the street team had done, and request a good deed for someone else in the community.

All the credit union’s marketing materials included reminders to “check back at the microsite often for the invitation to the ‘big reveal.’”

Three days prior to the grand opening, the credit union used its social media channels and created special printed pieces to invite people to the event.

The Good Deeds Done Daily campaign included a Facebook page, ^[4] Twitter account under the name @DoGooders, ^[5] and a YouTube channel. ^[6] All accounts have been deactivated, and the microsite pulled down, which is a bit disappointing. The credit union did all these good deeds, and now there’s no public record. Even if the site only attracted a handful of visitors after the promo concluded, it feels like a missed opportunity to build goodwill and foster positive brand perceptions.

According to Simon+ Associates, the results of the campaign include:

• 500+ attendees at the grand opening event
• Over 6,000 Unique Hits to MicroSite
• Total new deposits of $1,214,714.24
• ROI of 809.8%

If you like AltaOne’s Good Deeds campaign, check out these other promotions. There are some similar ideas financial marketers might want to explore further:

• Umpqua Bank – “Free Ice Cream Truck” ^[7]
  The truck is sent to markets where Umpqua is about to open a new branch, giving away ice cream for a few weeks prior to the grand opening. Between the promotional-, PR- and word-of-mouth value, Umpqua gets plenty of mileage out of its truck.
• TD Bank – “Random Acts of Convenience” ^[8]
  Street teams called “Convenience Crews” conduct “Random Acts of Convenience” in NYC and Philadelphia to announce TD’s takeover of Commerce Bank in that area.
• Servus Credit Union – “Feel Good Ripple” ^[9]
  This article looks at the recent trend of “pay it forward” promotions sweeping the credit union industry.
• Advantis Credit Union – “Grand Opening Promo” ^[10]
  This campaign yielded $35 million in deposits and 800 new members. That’s 3 years’ results in 2 days.

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MICROSITE
The site (above) shows the invitation to the grand opening after AltaOne revealed its involvement. The two screenshots (below) show how the site looked prior to the reveal. Notice the map showing the route of the ‘Good Deeds’ street team. Total visits: 6,000. Unique visitors: 4,000. Average time on site: about 3 minutes 30 seconds.

^[11]
DIRECT MAIL
Postcards were mailed within a 2-mile radius of the branch
for four consecutive Mondays before the grand opening event.

^[12]

TWITTER ACCOUNT
Cleverly named @DoGooders.

^[13]

FACEBOOK PAGE

^[14]

PRINT ADS
Newspaper insertions on the four consecutive Sundays before the event.
Inserts were placed in the largest circulating newspaper in the area.

^[15]

GRAND OPENING EVENT
Tents set up outside the branch to handle additional extra capacity.

3 Comments To "Guerilla Good Deeds Promote New Branch"

#1 Comment By Peter Hodges On November 17, 2009 @ 11:37 am

#2 Comment By Jane Simon On June 17, 2010 @ 2:25 pm

#3 Comment By Editor On June 17, 2010 @ 2:47 pm

#4 Pingback By The Financial Brand » 3 credit union microsites – the pros and cons On July 23, 2010 @ 12:02 am

#5 Pingback By 15 of the Best Guerilla Promotions in Banking : The Financial Brand: Marketing Insights for Banks & Credit Unions On October 30, 2010 @ 9:48 am

#6 Pingback By Credit Unions, Here’s That Awareness Campaign Everyone’s Been Waiting For | The Financial Brand: Marketing Insights for Banks & Credit Unions On September 27, 2011 @ 12:02 am

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