Credit unions capitalize on selfie craze

In 2012, few had ever heard the term “selfie.” For those who have defined as a photo of the photographer shot by the photographer, typically taken with a smartphone or webcam and uploaded to a social media website (history of the word here). But by the end of 2013, usage of the word “selfie” increased 17,000% and Oxford Dictionaries named it word of the year. During the 2014 Oscars, a selfie taken by Ellen Degeneres crashed Twitter.

Not long thereafter, banks and credit unions started looking to capitalize on the selfie insanity, with social media promotions offering cash and prizes for self-shot photos. Here are a few examples and ideas, plus some tips on how to structure your own contest.

1. Fairwinds Credit Union – “Pour Some Savings on Me #PiggySelfie Sweepstakes”

This promotion from Fairwinds Credit Union links savings accounts with selfies. Just take a picture of yourself with a pig, a piggybank or a likeness of a pig and post it on Twitter or to the credit union’s Facebook page.

The contest had six prizes total, all piggybanks stuffed with cash. The amount inside each piggy bank was a mystery, with amounts ranging in value from $250 to $1,000. Five winners were drawn at random, with the final winner chosen by judges.

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