Personal finance site GoBankingRates.com investigates the latest tactics that credit unions are employing to attract consumers’ attention, and discovers that marketing initiatives like ATM wrapping are setting non-profit credit unions apart from conventional banks.
EL SEGUNDO, CA (April 30, 2013) – The popularity of credit unions has been growing in recent years — The Financial Brand reports that there were 7,165 credit unions as of 2012, with total membership jumping to 93.7 million last year (from 88.5 million in 2007). Even so, credit unions are still struggling to replace big banks as the go-to financial institutions for American families, though GoBankingRates.com finds a few have found success in a little-known marketing initiative referred to as "ATM wrapping."
According to a new article on GoBankingRates.com, ATM wrapping involves working with a third-party service to professionally design custom graphics, then wrap the ATM in the design and place it in a high-traffic area.
"It’s funny that in an increasingly digital age, credit unions are turning to old-fashioned display advertising in an effort to improve branding and attract new members — but it’s working," states GoBankingRates.com managing editor, Casey Bond.
For instance, Anthony Pili, VP of Sales & Marketing for Palisades Federal Credit Union, told GoBankingRates.com that the institution began wrapping ATMs about a year ago and has seen huge payoff so far. He noted that while credit unions in general experienced a 6.7 percent average growth in membership through 2012, Palisades FCU saw 12.5 percent growth over the same time period.
Pili attributes much of this new membership to the higher visibility ATM wrapping has provided.
However, GoBankingRates.com finds that beyond reaching a wider audience, ATM wrapping has also been helping credit unions dispel the longstanding myth that they offer limited ATMs and branches. Ms. Bond explains, "Many consumers have shied away from credit unions in the past, put off by the notion that their money would be largely inaccessible unless they made special trips to the physical branch."
ATM wrapping not only allows more ATMs to be placed in high-traffic locations like schools and convenience stores, but also brings attention to ATM and branch sharing programs that allow members of one institution to perform transactions at other credit unions’ locations.
Even though the practice is still in its infancy, ATM wrapping has been very successful for credit unions so far. Their vibrant and unusual ATMs are catching the attention of those who may otherwise have never considered joining a credit union, and solidifying their membership.
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GoBankingRates.com is a national website dedicated to connecting readers with the best interest rates on financial services nationwide, as well as informative personal finance content, news and tools. GoBankingRates.com collects interest rate information from more than 4,000 U.S. banks and credit unions, making it the only online rates aggregator with the ability to provide the most comprehensive and authentic local interest rate information.