Media Release May 16, 2006
You can change everything if you change your bank
Vancity goes back to brand basics taking its reputation to the bank with its new advertising campaign
Vancouver – May 16, 2006 - “You can change everything if you change your bank” is the theme of Vancity’s new ad campaign, which challenges people to make banking choices that will positively impact their communities in addition to their wallets.
The brand campaign created by TBWA\Vancouver launched this month and runs in waves all year. It includes TV, outdoor and a guerilla street team tied to the launch of a new community building website. The ads capture Vancity’s community and environmental focus and are designed to leverage Vancity’s reputation as one of the most respected companies in BC.
The ads have been tailored to highlight products and programs that have been pioneered by Vancity. These include Shared Success, in which Vancity gives 30 per cent of its profits back to the community and its members; the Clean Air Auto Loan, Canada’s only discounted financing for hybrid cars; and the Envirofund VISA, which donates a percentage of its profits to address local environmental issues as chosen by cardholders.
The 15- and 30-second run on major BC stations and depict various images related to Vancity’s environmental and community work, connecting them to Vancity branches in an unexpected way using CG animation.
The TV spot will also be shown on stadium-style video screens that recently went up on a prominent corner in downtown Vancouver. Created by local company Bonnis Media CoreVision, the screens are part of the revitalization of one of the city’s major shopping districts, giving it a New York City Times Square look. Vancity’s ad will be included on a loop of ads and public service announcements.
The outdoor campaign includes billboards, tri-boards, transit shelters and SkyTrain wraps.
Guerilla marketing activities are also planned, in which street teams with video cameras will film people talking about what they would like to see changed in the city, region and maybe even their own lives. These will then be broadcast on a dedicated website and blog, a first for a Canadian financial institution.
This is Vancity’s first new ad campaign since winning BC Marketer of the Year last September; Vancity’s marketing team is hoping to leverage its strong reputation as a community focused and trustworthy organization to encourage people to make the leap from acknowledging that Vancity has a good reputation to joining up.
"Change everything invites people to change the way their money works. It’s about how people can effect large change by making a small change like switching their credit card,” says Sloan Dinning, Vancity’s Director of Brand and Marketing Communications. “We want consumers to change how they think about their banking because with Vancity, they can benefit personally while also benefiting their community."
Ipsos Reid’s recent Trend Report Reputation Monitor poll named Vancity as having the best corporate reputation in the province. In addition, last month, Vancity was chosen as the #1 workplace in Canada by Canadian Business magazine and ranked among the most respected companies in BC by BC Business magazine in its May issue.
Vancity is Canada’s largest credit union, with $11.8 billion in assets, 330,000 members, and 46 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.