WMG News & Events

How should we talk to our members and the public amidst the uncertainty of the economy and the financial industry as consumer confidence has eroded? What can we do to manage our public reputation as a unique financial provider? What themes are most important to consumers right now, especially consumers searching for a new financial institution? Should we adapt our plans, strategies and tactics?

Mark Weber will examine these questions and the issue of communication in times of uncertainty at the 2009 Washington Credit Union League’s Volunteers Conference.  He will speak on this, Saturday, June 20th at 10:00 am. To find out more about this conference and how to register online, go to: www.waleague.org/events

Do you want to learn 5 ways to recession-proof your marketing? Join Mark Weber’s Virtual Seminar Wednesday, April 22, 2009.

• 11:00 am – 12:00 pm (PST)
• 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm (MST)
• 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm (CST)
• 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm (EST)

This seminar will provide ideas to grow more profitable member relationships, spike your delivery systems and amplify your brand program and results in this brutal economy.

Mark will cover:

• Re-engineering your brand strategy ‘inside-out’ for better performance
• Creating an effective “on-boarding” program
• Gen Y marketing alone is not enough – - Gen X has the money
• Turning your branches into high performing relationship selling centers
• Evolving your web site and eServices into “Superglue”

Cost:
This seminar is open to MAC members only. It is free for MAC members to participate.

Capacity:
Please note that this virtual seminar is limited to the first 50 MAC members who register, so hurry and sign up.

Click HERE to register

Hard times hit the economy and your credit union, what is the first thing to be cut? At many credit unions, it’s marketing. Join the head honcho of Weber Marketing Group, Mark Weber, Tuesday December 16th at 11:00am Pacific time, to learn marketing strategies that will maximize the tight budgets most credit union marketers are faced with these days, while continuing to leverage and elevate your brand.

Take-aways Mark will be discussing include:

• Re-engineer your brand and marketing strategy
• Create an on-boarding program
• Develop marketing geared to Gen Y — and Gen X
• Turn your branches into selling centers
• Focus staff on brand experiences and relationship building
• Make your Web site and eServices selling centers
• Build relevant products for consumers
• Focus on smarter performance metrics

To sign up for this webinar click here. See you there.

Weber Marketing Group settled in their new office May 5^th, 2008, which has achieved Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Program.

The new 40,000 square foot building is one of the first in Seattle to achieve the LEED certification, aligning with Weber Marketing’s passion to make a difference in the financial industry, community, and earth.

To reduce green house gasses, the building was constructed without any air conditioning, something that has not been done in Seattle in 30 years. Using extensive thermal modeling and detailed data about Seattle’s weather, the 4-story building has special features to keep the interior cool during the summer. While temperatures may exceed 80 degrees a few times a year it is a small cost for using an estimated 30% less energy than a traditional office with air conditioning. The center courtyard creates a chimney effect, pulling air through the sides of the building, while exterior glass shades on the east and west sides of the building and inside the courtyard will absorb heat, but still let light through.

Other sustainable elements in the building include shower and change rooms for bicycle commuters and workstations with translucent furniture located near windows for more natural light. The roof is light-colored to reflect the sun’s heat, and structural elements contain a high percentage of recycled materials.

The LEED Gold building, designed by Weber + Thompson, a Seattle-based architecture and interior design firm, reflects Weber Marketing Group’s commitment to eco-friendly and environmentally sustainable practices.

Weber Marketing Group will attend BAI’s Retail Delivery Conference in Las Vegas on November 13-15.

The annual conference is for financial services executives and senior managers who want to learn creative approaches to growing their business in a non-growth environment. Attendees will hear the visionary perspectives of experts from both inside and outside the financial industry.

EHS Design, Momentum, L9 and Captive Indoor Media will be sharing a booth together with Weber Marketing.

The conference will be held at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino. For more information about the conference or to register, click here.

Weber Marketing will attend the Firefighters’ National Credit Union Summit in Albuquerque, New Mexico, October 10-13.

The conference brings together credit unions serving the firefighter credit union community. Attendees will be exploring a variety of subjects of key interest specifically to firefighter credit unions.

Los Angeles Firemen’s Credit Union, a client of Weber Marketing, will also attend the annual event.

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.

Weber Marketing Group will attend the 40th Annual National Association of Federal Credit Unions Conference in Honolulu, Hawaii, July 17-21.

The conference, at the Hilton Hawaiian Village and Hawaii Convention Center, will include over 40 education sessions and feature more than 30 expert presenters on credit union topics such as: BSA, FASB, Non-Interest Income, Serving the Underserved, Recruiting Volunteers, Recent Developments to Reg CC, ID Theft Prevention and Recovery, Innovative Communication Technologies, and more.

For more information contact Randy Schultz at (206) 826-0322.

Weber Marketing Group welcomed over 150 credit union marketing professionals to the Marketing Association of Credit Union’s 2007 annual conference, May 23-25. The three-day event was held at the Sheraton Hotel, only a mile from Weber Marketing Group’s headquarters in downtown Seattle.

Kicking Things Off

As registration opened, attendees stopped by the “Marketing Buzz Café” for free espressos served fresh from Weber Marketing’s own custom branded espresso cart. Credit union marketers and exhibitors alike enjoyed mochas, lattes and cappuccinos made by baristas Jeffry Pilcher, Weber Marketing Group’s creative director, and Savoy Brewster, a project manager.

Learning from Experience

As the conference got underway, over 40 attendees packed into the Sheraton’s Aspen Room to learn how to avoid the “Seven Deadly Mistakes of Community Charter Marketing.” Randy Schultz, VP of Marketing at Weber, and Jane Ronnefelt, VP of Marketing at Numerica Credit Union, told the crowd that credit unions looking to maximize a community charter often have to be ready to make bold strategic decisions.

“Many credit unions try adding the word ‘Community’ to their name, and try telling people that ‘membership is now open to everyone,’” Schultz said. “But it just isn’t enough.”

Weber Rocks the Boat

Wednesday evening, after the welcome reception, Weber Marketing Group bused over 80 MAC attendees down to Pier 55 for a three-hour sunset cruise around the Puget Sound. Music from Seattle band The Pop Offs rocked the 98’ boat as credit union professionals formed conga lines and (yes…it’s true) even a mosh pit! The cruise was co-sponsored by Captive Indoor Media, who shared exhibit space with Weber Marketing Group during the conference, along with strategic partners Member Research and L9.

Click here to view photos from the cruise.

Click here to view Argosy Cruise dock portraits.

And the Winner Is…

At Thursday evening’s MAC awards banquet, Weber Marketing Group and its clients were the big winners. Out of more than 350 entries in 25 different categories, 16 different Weber clients were honored with awards, and Weber Marketing won 14 awards itself:

• American Eagle FCU (East Hartford, CT), Branch Merchandising, Silver
• Arizona State CU (Glendale, AZ), Brochures, Silver
• Arizona State CU (Glendale, AZ), Name Change & Brand Launch, Gold
• Los Angeles Firemen’s CU (Pasadena, CA), Logo, Gold
• Neighborhood CU (Dallas, TX), Branch Merchandising, Bronze
• nuVision Financial FCU (Huntington Beach, CA), Logo, Bronze
• OnPoint Community CU (Portland, OR), Brand Development, Bronze
• OnPoint Community CU (Portland, OR), Outdoor, Bronze
• Onpoint Community CU (Portland, OR), Logo, Silver
• Orange County Teachers’ CU (Santa Ana, CA), Branch Merchandising, Bronze
• Plus4 CU (Houston, TX), Plastics, Gold
• Plus4 CU (Houston, TX), Branch Merchandising, Bronze
• TruGrocer CU (Boise, ID), Brand, Silver
• USA FCU (San Diego, CA), Annual Report, Bronze

Weber’s work for Arizona State Credit Union was also a finalist for the 2007 MACQUEE award. Paul Stull, Senior VP of Marketing for Arizona State Credit Union, gave a 15-minute presentation to all attendees about the success of their rebranding and renaming effort. He attributed Arizona State’s recent double-digit growth to the strength of the credit union’s brand, saying that a real brand is "something that you can truly utilize, not just something that’s pretty and sits on a shelf.

In total, Weber Marketing Group won over 35 credit union marketing awards this year, including CUES Golden Mirrors, CUNA Diamond Awards and MAC awards.

Enjoy three days of fun and education with Weber Marketing Group at the 21st Annual MAC Conference and Awards Ceremony in Seattle May 23-25, 2007.

On May 23, Randy Schultz, VP Marketing at Weber Marketing Group, and Jane Ronnfeldt, VP Marketing for Numerica Credit Union will be showing attendees how they can justify increasing their marketing budgets by 70-80% by building a breakthrough brand and creating million-dollar promotions.

On the evening of May 23, set sail on Puget Sound with Weber and partners Captive Indoor Media, Level 9 and Member Research for drinks and entertainment aboard a 98’ luxury Argosy Cruise ship.

To pick up your tickets for the sunset cruise, stop by our tradeshow booth – and have a free signature Weber espresso while you’re there.

The MAC Conference will be held at The Sheraton Seattle Hotel & Towers. Click here for more information or to register.

If you have any questions, please call Randy Schultz at 206-826-0322.