Illinois Credit Union Awareness/Membership Growth Task Force

iBelong continues with exciting changes for 2009!

iBelong, the biggest image and awareness campaign ever conducted by credit unions in the state of Illinois, has several exciting initiatives going on as we approach the final quarter of 2009!

First, our second flight is underway. A $248,000 integrated campaign has been developed to further enhance the image of credit unions in Illinois and build on the success of the campaign since its launch here last year. This includes the usage of key radio, cable television, print, outdoor and online media throughout the state.

Related to the first flight, an Enter to Win online contest has been incorporated– 30 iPods in 30 days! To enter, a visitor to the iBelong site (www.ibelong.org) simply needs to complete a short online survey. This is where we need your help! Through the survey, we are attempting to gain critical knowledge about the types of products and services used by current members and prospective credit union consumers throughout Illinois. We need as many survey respondents as possible, so we would like to enlist your help in publicizing the contest with members, potential non-members, SEGs, and the like. To help support this effort, the campaign has sent press releases to about 200 publications throughout the state, and had tailored the campaign's print ads to promote the contest. In addition, we have made a flyer and website graphic available to you free of charge to use to promote this event! The survey concludes on October 7, 2009, so your assistance in acting quickly is most appreciated.

Second, we are running our Shred Month activity once again in October and we encourage your participation in this beneficial community service and PR activity. A Shred Day is easy to plan, coordinate, and implement. It’s a fun event for your staff and it will provide your credit union with exposure to potential new members in your community. Important Note: It’s imperative that if you decide to participate in Shred Month that you contact us with the dates, times and locations of your planned Shred Days by clicking here. Your plans will be included in the master list that will be on the iBelong Web site and in the press releases distributed to media statewide.

See below for full details and resources relative to when and where the campaign is running, and resources for the online iPod contest and Shred Month.

These exciting developments are in addition to the first flight that was conducted earlier this year. As you are keenly aware, the economy and financial landscape have been constantly changing. In light of the anxiety shown by consumers, the iBelong Campaign added strictly addressing the safety and soundness of Illinois credit unions. During its November board meeting, the Illinois Credit Union League Board of Directors approved a $320,000 contribution for the 2009 iBelong Campaign, and with this generous support, the campaign was able to fully fund this new component in the early days and weeks of the new year.

This flight was a great complement, and addition to continuation of the positive image and awareness advertising that will be used by iBelong once again in 2009.

New radio spots for the safety and soundness campaign were also developed. You can check these out by clicking here. In addition, related TV spots are currently under development.

To help ensure statewide coverage, iBelong implemented a focused Search Engine Marketing program that guaranteed 1,800 click thrus to the iBelong Illinois web site over a three month period. Specifics of this plan include:

Search Engine Marketing – through all major search engines, people all over the entire state of Illinois will be reached; guaranteeing 1,800 click throughs to the campaign Web site.
Behavioral-Targeted Advertising – banner ads reached people all over the state of Illinois who have shown interest in credit cards and mortgages/loans over the previous 8 weeks. We reached these people specifically, because the ads were shown based on the IP address. We were guaranteed a combined total of nearly 500,000 impressions.
Geo-Targeted Advertising - banner and cube ads appeared for visitors from major markets for a combined total of over 1.5 million impressions. Total impressions per market range from about 100,000 to 800,000.
Our value-add online advertising generated a total of 300,000 free impressions. All results were tracked and tracking was further enhanced with the use of Google Analytics.

2009 Campaign

2009 Media Plan Overview

Flight one media details

Flight one print media details

Flight one billboard locations

Flight two media details - all

iPod Contest website graphic

iPod Contest flyer

Shred Month information: Participate this October!

For this year’s campaign, new contribution levels have been established to provide more opportunities for credit unions of all asset sizes to participate and provide flexibility in this economic environment. Click here to view the contribution schedule.

Lastly, for those of you who responded to our summer request for additional funds, thank you! With your help, we have reached our goal, which in turn made this year’s campaign possible! Thank you to the following credit unions and chapters that have contributed (click here) this year!

Full support of and participation in this initiative by credit unions helps ensure positive growth in credit union membership in our state for future generations. Your participation in this program allows for maximum coverage and exposure for the campaign. With full participation from Illinois credit unions, we anticipate that our positive message about credit unions will reach our target market in every corner of the state so that nearly 70% of the population of Illinois – peak borrowers (females, ages 25 - 44) – will hear our message four or more times by the end of the campaign.

Extra Bonus for Participating Credit Unions - With your participation at the minimum Suggested Pledge Amount for your credit union’s asset size, you’ll receive the following:

Listing on the iBelong website (www.iBelong.org) – which will assist consumers in finding your credit union via an extensive search engine maintained by the ICUL.
Discounted media buys – access to discounted media rates as negotiated by our media buying firm, HGadgroup; and
Supplemental campaign materials – Connect your credit union’s brand to the iBelong awareness campaign with advertising materials to complement your own marketing plan.

2008 Campaign Results

Total Media Value of $1.2 million (40% added value)

Total $845,000 raised - 140 participating CUs ($345,000) and ICUL participation ($500,000)
Outdoor - 103 billboards on roadways in 19 counties and 12 major markets in Illinois; average ovverride 2 - 4 weeks; some still posted
Print - 2,220 newspaper ads in 270 newspapers reaching 3 million readers each run; 2,260 actual
Radio - 4,400 ads on 90 stations statewide; 5,251 actual
Cable TV - 5,500 proposed spots on six popular cable networks throughout the state; 6,460 actual
Campaign Web Site - 2,200 CU searches with Zip Search
3,300 searches with http://www.findacreditunion.com (also available on campaign Web site)
Statewide membership increase - 31,662 (NCUA 5300 Report data Q4 2007 - Q3 2008) Click here for a representative chart.
PR Activity - As part of the campaign, Shred Month was held in June 2008 to help extend the life of the iBelong campaign and add credibility to the message sent through the advertising. Due to the popularity of this project, this event was held again in October (specifically targeting International Credit Union Week): 69 Shred Day events were held by 74 CUs representing 21 of ICUL's 26 chapters and received extensive PR coverage!

2008 Media Details

Media Plan Summary

Billboard location list

Annual Convention handout with media buy information

For more information about the 2009 campaign, media planned, statewide coverage and funding, please contact League Director Carl Sorgatz at (630) 369-4077.