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I listen to National Public Radio in the mornings on Washington’s WAMU and last week for the first time heard a quick public service/sponsorship announcement from CUNA. The brief spot cited credit unions’ role as trusted financial providers to the “little guy.” Given the station’s generally progressive listenership, it struck me as a clever marriage of message and audience.
The spot ended with an invitation to visit the website www.lookoutforthelittleguy.com. As soon as I got to work, I typed out the URL, eagerly anticipating a new consumer-oriented site explaining why and how credit unions are the protectors of economic democracy and equality. The link opened up CUNA’s regular home page. The top of the page featured a link to a credit union locator, but no other obvious consumer-oriented information, actions to take, or reference to the “little guy” theme.
Stop the presses! It has been called to our attention that the site mentioned in the CUNA radio spot is www.lookoutforthelittleguy.ORG, not .com.
(The royal) we had not had our coffee yet on that very early morning. However, we doubt that we are the only person to mishear. How about linking the .com site to the .org site?
The .org site is a great start on a consumer-oriented site and we look forward to following the adventures of the cute little guy. Peace.
Contrast this with an advertisement currently running in the current issue of Fast Company magazine. This full-page ad reads “I don’t 'Heart' my bank.” It sounds like a theme that credit unions could build on, but it actually directs readers to the site www.startabank.com.
When you follow the URL, you arrive at an action-oriented site that walks interested professionals through the steps involved in evaluating and launching a de novo bank. The firm placing the magazine ad offers consulting on the chartering process.
Imagine if the ad “I don’t 'Heart' my bank” brought individuals to a site about chartering a credit union. How should the ad position the rationale for starting a credit union?
If www.lookoutforthelittleguy.com was a brand-new site, what do you think are the most compelling points it should provide to consumers? What actions should it enable visitors to take?
