May 11: Vancity wins Marketer of the Year award

Vancouver, BC – Vancity has been chosen by the BC Chapter of the American Marketing Association (BCAMA) as the recipient of its 2005 “Marketer of the Year” award, one of BC’s most prestigious marketing awards and the BCAMA’s highest honour.

In a unanimous decision by the judges, Vancity was selected for its work in translating its reputation into branding gold.

“Vancity has always generated positive feelings towards its brand, but by linking its brand strategy to its strong reputation, the organization has been able to turn those feelings into business results,” says Janet Andersen, BCAMA Past President and Chair of this year’s judging committee.

Vancity’s branding work kicked off in 2003 with a goal to attract new members and generate deeper loyalty among its current membership. The first step was to embark on a revolutionary process with a West Vancouver firm called Envisioning + Storytelling to identify and capture the true essence of “who” the organization is and what makes it so special.

Vancity hired the design firm karacters to give the organization a fresh new look that better reflected its story. Following this, the credit union secured TBWA as its new agency to leverage its story and lead its brand refresh efforts. Its first TV ad campaign in seven years under the tagline “Expect Better” launched Vancity’s new approach. Other efforts, such as mass media, direct marketing, guerrilla activities, print, radio, and street teams created momentum.

Marketing strategies directed at youth and the gay and lesbian communities, as well as Vancity’s focus on developing innovative products and offering best pricing, have added to the organization’s success. The results have been impressive, contributing to another strong year for Vancity’s bottom line and membership growth rates.

“We are proud of the work we’ve done and are thrilled to be recognized by the BCAMA. We think we have a great story to tell and we now have all the tools we need to keep telling it in a revolutionary way,” says Kari Grist, Vancity’s vice-president of Marketing.

The BCAMA will honour Vancity at the 34th annual Marketer of the Year Awards Dinner at the Westin Bayshore on September 20, 2005.

The BC Chapter of the American Marketing Association is one of the most highly regarded chapters in North America based on success in membership, programming, and financial results. The BC Chapter most recently won Chapter Excellence awards in 2003. Previously, it won the prestigious international “Chapter of the Year” in 1995, and 1996.