“In most cases
‘On Your Way’
will pay for itself right away.”
— On Your Way website
The credit union industry can add one more firm to the list of companies specializing in Gen-Y marketing solutions. TBA Marketing is joining the ranks of vendors like PSCU Financial Services and Currency Marketing who are competing in the financial industry’s red-hot Gen-Y arena.
TBA Marketing describes its On Your Way program as “the complete credit union marketing program for young adults.”
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“Pay Yourself First”
One of the educational videos TBA Marketing offers as part of its On Your Way program.
You can see another sample video, “Avoid the Credit Trap,” here.
On Your Way aims to deliver a turnkey solution to help credit unions recruit members between the ages of 18 – 30, as well as increase the number of products and services used by these members. Program components include:
- YouTube Style Videos – Materials created by Gen-Y, for Gen-Y.
- Blogs – Focused on issues of interest to Gen-Y.
- Rewards – Chances for Gen-Y members to win great prizes each week by using credit union products and services, by referring friends to the credit union, by visiting your On Your Way website on a frequent basis, and by submitting content for publication on the site.
- Financial Guidance Videos – Addressing a variety of financial topics intended to help Gen-Y meet the financial challenges they face
- Articles – Written by On Your Way staff, as well as submissions from members of Gen-Y themselves.
- Direct Mail Campaigns
- Research – TBA promises to “conduct focus group sessions on a monthly basis to ensure that program content is on target in reaching this demographic.”
The program also provides instant loan decisioning and online account opening services through TBA’s partnership with MeridianLink — a nice added benefit for those clients who lack these capabilities themselves.
TBA describes the program as affordable for credit unions of all sizes, and in fact, says “in most cases On Your Way pay for itself right away.”
Pages from TBA’s “On Your Way” brochure.
There is also a corporate video about the project here.
TBA Marketing is a credit-union-only marketing firm based in Dallas. The company’s website says its owners and employees have more than 40 years of combined experience in the credit union industry. Staff members who contribute content to On Your Way are 19, 22, 29, and 33 years of age.
On Your Way is currently in “the enrollment phase” whereby clients can enroll and have their customized program fully operational when the On Your Way website for young adults goes live on January 5, 2009. TBA already has one client, with more on the way.
“We only opened the doors for business, so to speak, about 6 weeks ago,” said Ray Beauchamp, Managing Partner/TBA Marketing, in an interview with The Financial Brand. “Right now we’re pretty much exactly where we expected to be as far as clients are concerned.”
On Your Way provides a limited range creative flexibility, but not much. With On Your Way, you can choose from a selection of pre-designed layouts, then customize it with your logo and three of your own colors. The layout is then adjusted based on which On Your Way components will be included.
Two examples of direct mail pieces available through the “On Your Way” program.
This is fairly similar to how Currency Marketing manages its Young & Free campaigns for its clients. Some credit unions looking for more control and flexibility have found a limited range of branding options to be frustrating.
TBA doesn’t offer exclusivity for the program. “We actually believe very strongly in the cooperative model that credit unions embody,” said Beauchamp.
Bottom Line: If things like “Web 2.0” and “Gen-Y” are terms that make you uncomfortable, then there are turnkey programs out there that may work for you. But if you’re looking for a unique, fully-customized approach to targeting Gen-Y, a co-branded, off-the-shelf solution probably isn’t right for you.