In TFCU’s summer promotion, Get Going, the credit union is giving away a pair of Buddy Scooters (with helmets), and each of its 21 branches will award someone a $100 gas card. The campaign is built around a push on toy loans, including auto, boat, RV and motorcycle loans.

One really interesting aspect of this promotion is the “It’s On Us” perks TFCU surprises people with. The credit union’s business development rep pre-pays $200-$300 for coffees at local cafés or fountain drinks at Sonic Drive Thrus near TFUC branches. Customers making purchases at peak times are told, “Oh, it’s covered” while the clerk hands them an “It’s On Us” card with TFCU messaging (see below).

The promotion kicked off with a live radio remote broadcast at one of TFCU’s branches. The radio station hosting the even had pizza, music and other activities.

This is the second summer Tinker Federal Credit Union has done the Get Going promotion.

The promotion runs May 1 through June 30. Anyone 18 or older can register.

TFCU, based in Oklahoma, has around $1.9 billion in assets and over 200,000 members.

Tip of the Hat: To Third Degree Advertising, for developing a multi-channel, integrated marketing campaign with special attention to the creative details.

“It’s On Us” Cards

TFCU often uses to reach non-members in close proximity to the branches at coffee shops or Sonic drive-thrus, surprising customers by having prepaid for their drinks. The piece is a little bigger than a coaster and made from really thick cardstock.

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In-Branch Merchandising

Most of the TFCU branches are able to display a real scooter.
Notice the high-quality, freestanding retail display.

Chrome & Metal Extensions

The scooter rear-view mirror extensions are made from real metal bars that reflect the sun when you drive by.

Floor Clings

Placed in the entry ways and near teller areas.

Window Graphics

TFCU commissioned some whimsical window paintings for their front doors in the spirit of the scooter promo.

“Chuck & Leroy”

Meet Chuck and Leroy, two squirrels going nuts for First Tech Credit Union in a new brand advertising campaign called First Tech Fans.

The credit union worked up quite a backstory on their two little spokesquirrels. Chuck is a Western Gray Squirrel who enjoys making smart financial decisions. That’s why he he’s a member of First Tech Credit Union.

“Squirrels are really good at planning, always prepared and work tirelessly to achieve their goals.”
– Sean Blixseth,
First Tech agency R/West

Leroy is Chuck’s goofy but loveable “best friend forever,” as the credit union puts it. Chuck met Leroy about a year ago while both were out collecting nuts. Leroy enjoys lounging in his hammock and naming different types of nuts, but unlike Chuck, he doesn’t always make the smartest choices when it comes to planning for the future. Leroy is not a First Tech member…yet.

First Tech introduces Chuck and Leroy in a musical TV spot. The jingle is a folksy, down-home, banjo-picking narrative (it’s along the lines of The Beverly Hillbillies theme song). The lyrics present Chuck, a member of First Tech, as the smart squirrel, and Leroy as the dumb one:

Chuck. Leroy.
These squirrels will tell a story
of friends with different views,
financial don’ts and do’s.
One works out for little gain,
while the other tends to use his brain.
Chuck’s a member of First Tech
while Leroy risks his neck.
They’ll continue on
Just workin’ and havin’ fun.
But Chuck has the help of First Tech Credit Union.

“We’re hoping these quirky characters will demonstrate First Tech’s commitment to being an advocate for members,” according to a spokesperson with the credit union’s ad agency.

First Tech is also supporting the campaign with a microsite, firsttechfans.com, as well as billboards, radio spots and online advertising. All ads are running throughout First Tech’s major regions, which includes Portland, Salem and Lane County in Oregon and the Seattle, Washington area.

Future plans include expanding the microsite with Web 2.0 features that were described to The Financial Brand as “social media-esque.”

“You might start to see the Squirrels pop up on Twitter and Facebook from time to time,” the spokesperson said.

Based in Beaverton, Oregon, First Tech Credit Union has over 157,000 members and more than $2 billion in assets.

The campaign was developed by R/West. Chuck and Leroy were brought to life with help from Hidden City, a film production company, and Hive, an animation studio.

First Tech Fans
The microsite at firsttechfans.com where you can watch the launch TV spot, play three different Flash games and get tips on investing or buying a home.

Billboard

“Squirrel Chateau”
The squirrels start talking in this TV spot for home loans.
Leroy is a dumb squirrel who buys a bird’s nest.
Meanwhile, Chuck has bought a squirrel chateau with the help of First Tech.

“Intentionally left bank,” is the only thing Seattle Metro Credit Union’s billboard says.
How many financial institutions run billboards that look this uncluttered?
(Note: This is actually a full-color photo. That’s what Seattle looks like in winter.)

Seattle Metro Credit Union is running a simple-yet-clever brand-building ad campaign, Intentionally Left Bank, that twists popular idioms such as “fill in the blank” into tongue-in-cheek expressions about lousy banking relationships.

The campaign is designed to complement the credit union’s “7 Principles,” a philosophy built around the idea that a financial institution doesn’t have to be self-serving.

The campaign’s media strategy relies heavily on outdoor. Eight billboards will rotate in four-week cycles during the first and second quarter. Ads will also run on the sides of 16 Metro busses. Full-page ads will appear in Seattle Metropolitan magazine, The Stranger and Conscious Choice magazine over the same period. T-shirts are coming next.

All-in-all, this is a fairly sizeable campaign for a credit union with just over $500 million in assets.

“Fill in the Bank”

“Heart” will start running next week, right in time for Valentine’s Day.

While the ads themselves don’t ask for people to share stories about their bank breakups — there isn’t even a web address on one billboard — the open comment section on the credit union’s website was created for that purpose. So far, the credit union’s received 24 comments, including pithy anecdotes about people’s failed banking relationships.

Some people stopped by just to comment on the campaign’s creativity. One person called the campaign “witty and smart,” while another declared, “It’s corny and I LOVE it!”

All the work on the campaign including concept and design was done by Seattle Metro’s in-house marketing group. “I’m really proud of our team,” said Jill Vicente, CMO and VP/ Seattle Metropolitan Credit Union.

“Wrapping the ‘7 Principles’ around our credit union – both internally and externally – has been a huge task,” Vicente told The Financial Brand. “It feels good to see it evolving with each project.”

Seattle Metro’s last promotion garnered mounds of media coverage after the credit union announced it was giving away free money.

It’s no secret. Michigan’s economy is all doom and gloom these days, or so it would seem based on what you read in the news. Chemical Bank isn’t hiding from this fact in its latest brand ads. Recently, the bank unveiled a brand campaign addressing Michigan’s economic malaise.

The campaign kicked off in July with 14 billboards scattered throughout the state’s Lower Peninsula that bore only two words on a green background — the mantra “Save Michigan.” Nothing else. No logo. No website.

Know one knew who was behind the ad campaign. People speculated. Theories circulated.

Ten days later, Chemical added the URL savingmi.com to the billboards and the mystery was solved. The URL takes you to a microsite explaining the campaign, with cross-links back to the bank’s main website.

Key Questions:

• How are Michiganites reacting to this campaign?
• Will the audience be as large- and as willing to rally behind Chemical Bank and its “Save Michigan” cause as the bank might have hoped?
• Does it feel like a sincere attempt to revive Michigan’s economy and lift up everyone’s spirits? Or does it come off as disingenuous exploitation of a weakened state?

It’s hard to gauge how many other Michigan marketers are taking a similar approach in their advertising these days, but Chemical Bank certainly isn’t the only one. Maybe Michiganites don’t want another reminder of how badly things suck?

Chemical Bank hopes people will appreciate much-needed financial advice on how to get through difficult times.

”We’re going to be offering free financial workshops to help individuals deal with the realities of today’s economic times,” said John Hatfield/Marketing Director for Chemical Bank.

The series of free workshops is aimed at reinforcing the practical principles of personal financial management.

“We wanted to change the conversation and to get people talking.”
– David Ramaker
Chairman, President & CEO

Chemical Bank would not say what the campaign is costing nor how it plans to measure its success, but they admit this much: Sales weren’t the focus of the campaign. They assert that the campaign is less about promoting products than positioning Chemical as a strong institution in a struggling economy.

“We wanted to change the conversation and to get people talking,” said David Ramaker/Chairman, President & CEO of Chemical Bank.

At least one branding expert thinks this is a mistake: “Awareness is no way to measure. Image is fine, but they still need to get people through the doors.”

Despite how Chemical wants this campaign to be perceived, its motives aren’t purely magnanimous. They are using the campaign’s microsite to push their new, cleverly-named “MI Savings Account.”

Reality Check: There isn’t much chatter on the blogosphere — nor anywhere else for that matter — about the campaign. This is one key indicator of a campaign’s buzzworthiness (aka, it’s ability to “get people talking.”)

Key Question: Assuming the bank has people’s attention, what’s next?

Later this fall, “Save Michigan” will give way to a larger “Made in Michigan” branding campaign emphasizing Chemical’s 90 years in the state.

According to the bank, “Save Michigan” is the first phase of a larger brand campaign that will celebrate Michigan and demonstrate how Chemical Bank is doing its part by offering “a solid base of financial products.”

The campaign, which also includes radio ads, comes from Gravity Six Alliance in Grand Rapids, Michigan. You can read the script for the first radio spot on page 2, or go to the savingmi.com website and listen to it on the microsite’s homepage.

Chemical Bank, with $3.75 billion and 129 branches in 31 Michigan counties, is the third-largest bank headquartered in the state. It has operated exclusively in Michigan for over 90 years.

Key Takeaways:

1. Going to extremes — like running billboards without a logo — is what it takes to cut through the clutter these days.
2. Making a big splash is great, but having a “second act” is critical.
3. Linking products to your brand-building efforts is always a good idea. It’s best when there is obvious synergy between your campaigns and the products they support.
4. When you tap topical issues (pop culture, TV shows, news headlines) like Chemical Bank is doing with Michigan’s economy, you can create an engaging purpose for your audience and a common bond for your brand. It also suggests you’re current and “with the times.”
5. Be prepared when attitudes change and a topical subject or cause is no longer in vogue. What will you do next?

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Marketing: American Airlines FCU gives away 5 cars in ‘Road to Success’ campaign

Advertising: A regular guy notices and comments on Think Bank’s billboards

Gen-Y: Commonwealth CU picks ‘Young & Free’ blogging contest winner

Branch Retail: SunWest CU gets a Starbucks inside its new branch

Marketing: Financial institutions stepping up ‘green marketing’ efforts

Web 2.0: Fairfax County CU has user-generated TV spot contest

Marketing: Kansas CU celebrates 50 years by giving away 1957 Cadillac

Politics: Assistant AG in Washington says CUs shouldn’t use the B-word

Advertising: Houston CU supports billboard campaign with a microsite

Sponsorships: San Diego Poinsettia Bowl goes into its third year