Zany Gen Y-targeted videos reap rewards
You know your credit union’s video efforts are a hit when…
- One clip racks up more than a half-million views on YouTube-and then gets hijacked by cyberpirates aiming to cash in on its lofty search-engine status.
- Membership among the targeted Generation Y demographic increases 51% from the year before the series aired, without an overarching campaign.
- You win two national honors in a contest that draws winning entries from The Coca-Cola Co., Kaiser Permanente, Philips Healthcare, and Four Seasons Hotels.
“The feedback was pretty tremendous,” says Pati Maguy, marketing specialist for $489 million asset IC Federal Credit Union, Fitchburg, Mass.
IC Federal had been eyeballing a Gen Y effort, and enjoyed the prospect of partnering on a video campaign with a neighborhood advertising agency, populated by twentysomethings. “We worked together to generate specific questions people might have, and educate them on what can be confusing,” says Monica Turner, the credit union’s Internet and social media specialist.
The irreverent series covers topics such as:
- Owning a house vs. renting, set to the animated baroque tale of “The Landlord and the Broker.”
- The benefits of saving, featuring a stream of bleeps over “The ‘S’ Word.”
- The pitfalls of credit cards in “Behind the Plastic with Credit Card Murphy,” a takeoff on the formulaic VH1 “Behind the Music” rise, fall, and rebound rock star biographies.
“They obviously target Gen Y, but they’re family-friendly, and anybody would be amused and learn something from them as well,” Maguy says.
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