Public Relations Archive
BofA Has 6 (Six!) Brand Heritage Museums
BofA calls them Heritage Centers. One of them can be found here, online. It includes an interactive time line. The others are located in out there, in the real world: San Francisco, Charlotte, Boston, Los
Q&A Interview with Two Financial PR Firms
Recently, The Financial Brand sat down with two PR pros in the financial industry to chat about public relations and some of the things financial institutions should know. Here’s a Q&A interview with Casey Boggs,
Guaranty Bank Bulldozes 16 New Houses
Guaranty Bank out of Austin recently paid a demolition company around $100,000 to flatten 16 model homes in Victorville, California. Guaranty obtained the housing development when it foreclosed on the builders, Mathews Homes, back in
Fired…Hired…Then Retired: The $4 Million CEO Debacle
$4 million severance one day… $474,000 salary the next Steve Blakely joined Servus Credit Union back in March 2007, a little more than a year before the 3-way marriage between Servus, Community Savings and Common
20 Credible Ways to Say You’re Safe & Sound
You may have heard that the economy could start its recovery sometime this year. Or maybe you believe that the financial industry’s worst months were back in October and November last year. If so, you
Credit Unions, Welcome to the Financial Crisis
Before last Friday, credit unions had remained fairly immune to the fallout from the financial meltdown. But with the implosion of U.S. Central and WesCorp, credit unions are now knee deep in the economic crisis.
AIG’s Security Tips for Surviving an Angry Mob
An AIG corporate security memo, leaked to Gawker, advises employees on how not to fall victim to the populist horde calling for their heads. Click to enlarge. Here’s to hoping your financial institution never, ever
More Proof that PR Overpowers Financial Ads
More proof that PR is overpowering financial advertising messages comes from — of all places — Nielsen, the TV ratings people. Understandably and quite predictably, Nielsen set out to prove that financial institutions would benefit
Notably Quotable: Capitalism, Failure and the Economy
“Capitalism without failure is like religion without sin.” – Economist Allan Meltzer “Most financial history is useless at this point. Even well-known economists grasp for examples of periods that are comparable to current conditions.” –
How to Handle an Ugly PR Mess
What would you do if your financial institution found itself in the middle of a PR fiasco? Take a look at this situation involving Navy FCU, then check out six tips for how to handle
PR Completely Overshadows Ads as Financial Crisis Lingers
People don’t want to hear what most financial institutions have to say right now…that is, unless they are apologizing. As a recent Newsweek article points out that “Public anger at financiers is at levels last
Notably Quotable: Reflections on the Economic Crisis
“The public doesn’t understand how the system works, so we look for things we do understand, like banks not making loans and people spending money to redecorate their offices, or sponsor a ballpark, or buy
Credit Unions to Pay for Their Day in the Sun
Why are credit union executives frolicking around an exotic Caribbean resort while thousands of miles away, their industry’s leadership cries to Congress about “hard times” and the need for a TARP bailout? That question —
Mass Media Crashes Bank Parties
Recent stories from the press have been rash to criticize anything that might be construed as an extravagance on the part of financial institutions. Some banks are crying foul. BofA and Wells Fargo are two
No TARP Money? You Should Be Thrilled
At last count, 315 different financial institutions had received over $300 billion in TARP money. If you’re one of the thousands of other financial institutions that didn’t get a slice of bailout pie, you should
HSBC’s First Direct Has a Little Black Book
First Direct, the online bank birthed from HSBC, is launching a new online review site in the U.K call Little Black Book. Customers who use the site will be invited to share tips on topics
Credit Unions, Welcome to the TARP Bailout…
“Credit unions have joined the long line of bailout recipients.” – NPR’s Marketplace For the past few months, the mainstream media had been heaping mounds and mounds of glowing press on credit unions. But last
Christmas Bonus! ATM to Spew $50s Instead of $20s
This holiday season, Industrial Credit Union in Bellingham, WA is going to randomly swap 100 $20 bills in one of its ATMs with $50 bills. The promo starts December 1. According to Matt Vance, the
Credit unions glow in media spotlight (Part IV)
Back in September, as the economy began disintegrating, an unusual trend began to emerge. The media — who had been ignoring credit unions for decades — all of a sudden started talking about these member-owned
