WMG News & Events

Weber Marketing completed a 3-branch merchandising project for Red Canoe Credit Union in late July. Red Canoe’s main branch, in Federal Way, WA, is 5,000 square feet, and the other two branches in Longview, WA, are roughly 1,200 square feet.

Weber Marketing’s merchandising team selected images of nature, including mountains, lakes and ferns, illustrating Red Canoe’s passionate and progressive brand with a distinctively Pacific Northwest feel. Nature photographs are arranged in a wide brand feature that stretches all the way behind the tellers, along with evocative words like “journey” and “discover.”

“It tells a story of the spirit and essence of the Pacific Northwest,” says Sarah Van Arsdale-Cook, Weber Marketing’s Senior Graphic Designer behind the concept. “It’s unique because Red Canoe doesn’t use cliché photos of smiley, happy people. You don’t feel like you’re in a typical financial institution. It’s very specific to the area.”

Weber Marketing also replaced ads with nature photos underneath clear panels in Red Canoe’s kiosks. “No detail was missed,” says Van Arsdale-Cook.

Canoe paddles, both real and graphical, adorn the credit union’s branches, playing up on Red Canoe’s theme. “The paddles now have an iconic tie to the credit union,” says Amy Davis, VP Marketing at Red Canoe. “People look at them and immediately think, ‘That’s Red Canoe.’”

The new branch merchandising also ties to Red Canoe’s roots and previous name, Weyerhaeuser Employees Credit Union. The new brand celebrates what Weyerhaeuser is about — the timber industry, the outdoors and the Pacific Northwest — and brings it inside Red Canoe’s branches.

Despite the initial reaction and debate about the new name, Red Canoe’s members and staff are now extremely excited about the look of their branches. Weber Marketing is slated to install merchandising in two more Red Canoe branches in early to mid 2008.

To rebrand your financial institution or branch experience, contact Randy Schultz at 206-826-0322.

Weber Marketing will attend the American Bankers Association Marketing Conference in Baltimore, Maryland, September 16-18, along with digital signage partner Captive Indoor Media.

The ABA conference is for marketing professionals in the financial services industry. ABA anticipates over 650 total attendees.

The conference will be held at the Marriott Waterfront Hotel in downtown Baltimore. For more information and to register, click here.

An article in the July 2007 issue of Credit Union Management Magazine entitled “The Name Game” examines credit union name changes over the past few years. Reporter Bryan Ochalla poses the question: “Have members had it with credit union name changes?”

A quick glance at a few of Weber Marketing’s recent successful name changes suggests that it isn’t the case. Achieva Credit Union (formerly Pinellas County Teachers Credit Union), iQ Credit Union (formerly Clark County School Employees Credit Union), TruGrocer Credit Union (formerly Albertsons Employees Credit Union), and OnPoint Community Credit Union (formerly Portland Teachers Credit Union) are all Weber Marketing clients who smoothly transitioned to new names without controversy.

Ochalla’s article also asks readers the question: “How do companies like Weber Marketing come up with names like Optiva and Veristate and why do credit unions decide to go with them?”

“We try to pick names that don’t get anyone in legal trouble,” says Pilcher. “That can be quite a trick when most of the common words are taken. It’s like trying to find a good URL, especially when you’re in a sort of ubiquitous industry like financial services.”

The final decision on a name is always made by the client. Weber Marketing usually develops about 300 names for each client and shows them roughly 75 of those names throughout the course of the project. “We give the credit union choices,” says Pilcher, “and they can go the direction they want – safe and conservative or something a bit more creative and distinguished.”

Another feature article, “Winning Vendor Relationships a Two-Way Street,” in the July 2007 issue of Credit Union Business magazine discusses the multiple tools Weber Marketing uses to manage relationships with their credit union clients.

“Our clients can’t afford to fly out every time we need to talk,” says Pilcher, “So we’ve become exceptionally good at managing long-distance relationships.”

Usually, Weber Marketing will initiate relationships with new clients with in-person meetings to give everyone a chance to put faces to names. But because of the nature of the work, urgent face to face communication is rarely needed and the majority of the communication is handled via phone and e-mail.

“We’ve found that our relationships and communication styles work out really well for everyone,” Pilcher says. “There are a few times when an in-person meeting would be a little easier or more convenient, but in today’s digital age, it’s not really a significant problem.”

For more information, contact Randy Schultz or Jeffry Pilcher at (206) 340-6111.