2011 Diamond Award Winners Honored at Council Conference

Posted: 2011-03-21 00:00:00

Madison, Wis. – Linn Area Credit Union was named “Competition’s Best” – the highest “Best of Show” award in the CUNA Marketing and Business Development Council’s Diamond Awards competition. The winners were acknowledged during the council’s 18^th annual conference, which took place March 16-19 in Las Vegas.

Entered in the Television Series category, Linn Area Credit Union looked to increase the number of new accounts through testimonials of real members in a series of television commercials. By exuding their approachable, feels-like-family branding image, they were able to exceed their goal of new members by 104%.

This year’s awards competition received nearly 1,000 entries. Judges awarded four entries as Best of Show, along with 146 Diamond Awards and 237 Awards of Merit. Other Best of Show honorees included:

• Best Association Entry: California and Nevada Credit Union League in Ontario, Calif., for its Annual Meeting & Convention campaign, “Reimagine.” The theme captured the need for innovative thinking on the part of credit unions as they dealt with a changing industry and a down economy. The various modes of member communication, including print pieces, emails, videos and a website, led to an increase of more than 100 attendees over the previous year.
• Best Use of Art: Texas Trust Credit Union in Mansfield, Texas, for its "Spirit Card Contest" entry in the Plastic Access Card Design category. By allowing students to submit a design for a Debit MasterCard, the “Spirit Card Contest” was a way to develop relationships with local school districts and businesses and a way to get students actively involved in the credit union.
• Best Use of Humor: Central Credit Union of Illinois in Bellwood, Ill., for its “2010 Fall Vehicle Event” campaign. Using multiple mediums, the campaign emphasized a sense of urgency to act on the vehicle loan promotion with their use of a turkey living on borrowed time before the Thanksgiving holiday. The campaign brought in over $1.9 million in vehicle loans which was 195% over their marketing goal.

The Diamond Awards, representing the pinnacle of credit union marketing and business development, feature 33 categories, ranging from direct mail and Web site marketing to public relations and social media. Judges evaluated entries based on strategy, design and production, creative concept, copy and communication, and results.

A complete list of award winners is available online at www.cunamarketingcouncil.org, by selecting the “2011 Diamond Awards” link, located in the “Events” pull-down menu.

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About CUNA Marketing and Business Development Council

The CUNA Marketing and Business Development Council is a member-led organization comprised of 1,000 credit union professionals across the United States. The council strives to provide superior educational and networking opportunities to help its members be recognized in the credit union industry as the premier experts in credit union marketing, business development, and related disciplines. The CUNA Marketing & Business Development Council is of the six organizations that make up the CUNA Councils, a network of more than 4,700 credit union professionals. For more information, visit www.cunamarketingcouncil.org or www.cunacouncils.org.