June 15

Quirky new brand campaign shows how “we all profit” with Vancity

Vancouver, BC – June 15, 2007 – What do western Canada's first solar-powered billboard, four people in a bed, and bad behaviour in a bathroom involving aerosol cans have in common? They're all part of Vancity's new brand campaign kicking off this week.

The year's campaign, created by TBWA\Vancouver, will have a more fun-loving, cheekier and personalized tone than past campaigns which leaned towards being more aspirational. The campaign components will be rolled out throughout the year and will include TV, in-cinema, transit shelters, outdoor and online (weallprofit.vancity.com). A number of guerilla activities will be added including a community bike sharing experiment and wild postings, where pedestrians can express their ‘on the wall' thoughts, ideas and suggestions about what's on their minds.

The playful new campaign is the latest in the evolution of the Vancity brand, which was revitalized with a new look and focus two years ago. In 2005, Vancity challenged Lower Mainlanders to “expect better” from their financial institutions. Last year, Vancity built on that approach by demonstrating how Vancity can change the way their money works.

The campaigns have been instrumental in Vancity acquiring 57,000 new members over the past two years.

The latest campaign theme is “we all profit”. Vancity's vice-president of marketing, Kari Grist, says this statement embodies and explains why Vancity does all the things it does. “At Vancity we fundamentally believe we can help our members profit personally, and also help the communities they live in and our environment profit as well,” says Grist.

“This year's campaign reinforces the notion that with a triple bottom line approach to everything we do, we all profit, and communicates our point-of-difference in a humourous, yet smart manner,” adds Grist.

The TV and cinema spots focus on unique Vancity products, including the Mixer Mortgage, a financing option that enables groups of people to buy a mortgage together in Canada's most expensive real estate market, and the enviro Visa, which donates a percentage of its profits to address local environmental issues, as chosen by cardholders. The campaign elements work collectively to draw attention to Vancity's values and to what defines the organization in the community and the financial services sector.

Vancity won a silver Cassie last year for its brand work, and in 2005 was chosen as BC Marketer of the Year by the BC Chapter of the American Marketing Association (BCAMA).

Vancity is Canada's largest credit union, with $12.3 billion in assets, 360,000 members, and 56 branches throughout Greater Vancouver, the Fraser Valley and Victoria. Vancity owns Citizens Bank of Canada, serving members across the country by telephone, ATM, and the Internet. Both Vancity and Citizens Bank are guided by a commitment to corporate social responsibility, and to improve the quality of life in the communities where we live and work.