SAFE Credit YOUnion campaign receives prestigious national award

FOLSOM, Calif. – (June 19, 2020) – The message is simple, bold, yet inviting. The images reflect the diversity of the Greater Sacramento region. The campaign captures the very essence of what it means to be a credit union that puts people over profits.

And now, the SAFE Credit YOUnion campaign that got Sacramento residents talking has received accolades from the Credit Union National Association, a nationwide organization that promotes and advocates for the credit union movement.

SAFE’s newest branding campaign received a coveted Diamond Award in the Multi-Dimensional category in CUNA’s 2020 awards ceremony held remotely this June. SAFE’s entry rose above entries from all over the country to earn this honor.

“SAFE Credit Union is proud of this campaign,” says Erica Dias, Vice President of Marketing, Community Banking, and Communications at SAFE Credit Union. “It captures the credit union movement. It is simple and clear, and we love that it includes the diversity of our region. We’ve loved it since the beginning, but it’s so affirming that it has been so supported in our community. We’ve received good feedback from our members and Sacramento-area residents, and now we are so pleased to receive accolades from our own industry.”

The campaign’s messaging and imagery immediately speak to current and potential members by letting them know that SAFE Credit Union is all about YOU. Rather than focus on the nuts and bolts of the benefits of banking with a credit union, the campaign instead taps into people’s emotions, their need to feel part of a valued cooperative, and to be appreciated as a unique individual.

The campaign was launched in May 2019 with billboards, a television commercial, and social media promotions. SAFE worked with Sacramento ad agency un/common to create the branding campaign. SAFE quickly incorporated the campaign into its branches, its safecu.org website, and other marketing efforts. The entire organization adopted the spirit of the campaign. Employee Services renamed its internal training program to SAFE YOU. Stickers with plays on the YOU message were distributed at community events, including at the August 2019 groundbreaking for the SAFE Credit Union Convention and Performing Arts District. Member Appreciation Days at branches carried the YOU message in promotions, special activities, and giveaways. It is also used extensively in SAFE’s financial education outreach through the Workplace Financial Wellness program now providing webinars for the entire community that provide insights to help members navigate the current challenging environment.

In early 2020, SAFE launched the second phase of the campaign that features images of SAFE staff members, reflecting the wide diversity of those who serve our members in branches and from our headquarters. That “real person” connection has been well received by our members and on audiences social media, as staff members’ friends and family cheer them on.

The SAFE Credit YOUnion campaign also serves as a strong complement to CUNA’s nationwide awareness campaign, Open Your Eyes to a Credit Union. SAFE has invested into the Open Your Eyes to a Credit Union campaign to help fund outreach about why credit unions are a better choice than banks for consumers looking for local connection, better rates, and caring service. More information on the Open Your Eyes campaign can be found at yourmoneyfurther.com.

The SAFE Credit YOUnion campaign continues to evolve, but one aspect will remain constant: the focus on the credit union mission of serving our members as the valued individuals they are.

About SAFE

SAFE Credit Union has made members an integral part of its vision since 1940. Over the years the credit union has kept the focus on what really matters, putting members first, a formula that has seen SAFE grow into a leading financial institution in Northern California with more than $3 billion in assets and about 236,000 members. SAFE crafts every cutting-edge product and sterling service with members’ needs foremost in mind. In addition to banking services conveniently available through online, chat, mobile, or phone options, SAFE offers in-person care for members and small businesses at service centers across the Greater Sacramento region and a mortgage lending office serving Contra Costa and Alameda counties. SAFE is a not-for-profit, state-chartered credit union with membership open to businesses and individuals living or working in Sacramento, Placer, Yolo, El Dorado, Sutter, Butte, Nevada, Solano, San Joaquin, Contra Costa, Yuba, Amador, and Alameda counties. Insured by NCUA. www.safecu.org