PSECU, Pennsylvania’s anytime, anywhere digital credit union, was recently presented with 18 MarCom Awards for submissions made to the annual, international competition administered by the Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals (AMCP). Designed to honor the creativity and hard work of industry professionals, the MarCom Awards program receives more than 6,000 entries each year from dozens of countries around the globe. PSECU entered 18 pieces into this year’s competition, all of which received accolades.
“To receive recognition for the quality and creativity of our marketing efforts on an international level is truly an honor,” said PSECU Vice President of Marketing and Membership Development Barb Bowker. “We know that offering excellent products and services alone is not enough – we have to let people know about them, too. Otherwise they cannot benefit. These MarCom Awards serve as confirmation that our marketing initiatives are on track and fulfilling their purpose, ultimately, to let our members know how we can help them improve their financial well-being.”
According to the summary of the MarCom Award selection process provided on the official website, “Entries are judged at random and not compared directly to other entries in their categories… There are no lengthy essays to persuade the judges; so all work is evaluated solely on its own quality, creativity, and resourcefulness. Judges base their decisions on learned perceptions of creative excellence rather than an entrant’s imaginative explanation of an entry’s value.”
The credit union received six Platinum Awards, the highest designation in the competition; seven gold awards; and five honorable mentions. The chart below summarizes PSECU’s 2019 MarCom Award entries, along with their corresponding award categories and the recognition level each received:
| Title of Entry | Entry Category | Recognition Received |
| “Declutter Your Credit Cards” – Visa Balance Transfer | Audio/Video | Television (Broadcast & Cable | Campaign | Platinum |
| “Different Kind of Banking” – Student Orientation Campaign | Strategic Communications | Marketing/Promotion Campaign | Integrated Marketing | Platinum |
| E-Statements Earth Day Campaign | Marketing | Advertising | Advertising Campaign | Platinum |
| The Founder’s Card | Audio/Video | Television (Broadcast & Cable) | Campaign | Platinum |
| PSECU Auto Loans | Audio/Video | Television (Broadcast & Cable) | Campaign | Platinum |
| PSECU.com | Digital Media | Website | Financial Services | Platinum |
| Penn State Alumni Association | Strategic Communications | Marketing/Promotion Campaign | Product Launch | Gold |
| PSECU 2018 Community Report Card | Publications | Annual Report | Corporate Social Responsibility | Gold |
| PSECU Blog | Digital Media | Web Element | Blog Overall | Gold |
| PSECU Facebook Page | Digital Media | Social Media | Facebook Site | Gold |
| PSECU RE:member Newsletter | Print Creativity | Design (Print) | Newsletter | Gold |
| Special Membership Reward | Strategic Communications | Marketing/Promotion Campaign | Integrated Marketing | Gold |
| Special Membership Reward | Strategic Communications | Marketing/Promotion Campaign | Promotion/Marketing Materials | Gold |
| Chips In Golf Outing Social Content | Digital Media | Social Media | Social Content | Honorable Mention |
| “Meet Diana” – Feeding Pennsylvania | Digital Media | Video/Film | Nonprofit | Honorable Mention |
| Shippensburg Commencement Speech | Print Creativity | Writing | Speech | Honorable Mention |
| Special Membership Reward Instagram Story | Digital Media | Social Media | Social Video | Honorable Mention |
| WalletWorks Youth Activity Pages | Print Creativity | Design (Print) | Other | Honorable Mention |
“Congratulations to our entire Marketing team for earning these prestigious MarCom Awards,” said PSECU President and CEO George Rudolph. “The work you do to serve our valued members and to make them aware of the many products and services PSECU offers to help them achieve financial success is greatly appreciated.”
PSECU's Marketing Department handles much of the credit union's design work internally, taking the idea for each piece from conception to completion in-house.
“This marks the sixth consecutive year that PSECU has been recognized by the MarCom Awards, and I couldn’t be prouder of our team,” said Kerry Mullen, PSECU’s Creative Director. “We strive to always create engaging, relevant, and visually appealing branded marketing collateral and destinations for our audiences, and the recognition from a prestigious and well-known industry competition - affirm that we are accomplishing our goals.”
