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BECU Members Share Personal Stories in New Brand Campaign from Dna

04/11/2022
Marketing & PR
New York, USA
188
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New initiative leveraged insights from independent DE&I panel of experts

Over 100 BECU credit union members responded to a social media request by BECU, Washington’s largest credit union, to be included in its new brand initiative, “Power in People.” The campaign, created in partnership with BECU’s long-time agency DNA, launched last month and  features over 40 BECU members in multimedia ads, while taking you into the homes of three of those members who talk about how BECU helped them overcome financial hurdles to achieve their dreams.


The new campaign touches on subjects not usually seen in advertising for a financial institution: an immigrant’s struggle to pay off debt, the importance of home ownership to people of color to create a legacy of generational wealth for one’s family, and navigating the mortgage process as a first-time home buyer. The stories bring to life BECU’s purpose as a member-owned credit union to improve the financial well-being of its members and its communities.


“Power in People is not just an advertising campaign, it speaks to what BECU stands for as a not-for-profit credit union that puts our members best interests at the heart of our business,” explained Stephen Black, vice president of Brand Strategy at BECU.  “We proudly represent a community of over 1.3 million members who invest in one another. That’s powerful and it’s what helps fuel our purpose.”

One ad features Rolando, a graphic designer who shares his personal journey of what it was like to grow up as an immigrant, and his dream of attending college. Like so many young people who struggle to balance having to work and take out expensive loans to pay for school, Rolando found himself in deep debt. He credits BECU for helping him navigate his financial challenges and help him become more financially secure.


Another ad features Kindle, a Black woman who speaks about the challenges her ancestors faced gaining access to homeownership, and how finding her dream home provides her a means to pass along generational wealth to her family.

To ensure the advertising accurately and authentically represented diverse voices, DNA brought its Diversity, Equity and Inclusion panel into the process to provide creative oversight and campaign consultation. The five-member panel was consulted three times during the development and creation of the campaign.

“We were all awed by the courage and enthusiasm of these members to take the mic and tell their stories,” explained Mishy Cass, ECD at DNA. “The whole process empowered them to talk about their dreams. The result is a series of very emotional stories that are unified by the role that BECU played in helping its members dreams come true.”

To bring its member stories to life, DNA enlisted Missing Pieces Director Bianca Giaever, an NPR contributor to ‘This American Life.’ Mishy Cass noted that, “Bianca has a distinctive visual style that incorporates hand-drawn imagery in the film, that is both charming and adds a poignancy to the stories. Her journalistic background led to engaging conversations that enabled the BECU member stories to really come to life.”

In commenting on the production, Bianca Giaever said, “I was very inspired by all three of their stories, and honored to help tell them. We decided to go with a ‘scrapbook’ approach to sharing these stories, so you could feel like you were flipping through their family histories and experiencing a moment in their lives. All three stories were extremely powerful, about how BECU helps empower individuals to improve their financial well-being. With Kindle, we got to celebrate her home and her pride in buying it.  Leandra had an incredibly personal connection to BECU. She never imagined she would be eligible to buy a home. Learning that she could buy a home was an incredibly emotional experience for her. Rolando's story was also moving, his family was undocumented and susceptible to predatory loans during his college application process. Now he's an advocate for other individuals susceptible to predatory loans, and teaches financial literacy in Seattle.”

The advertising campaign features the individual stories as well as a wide array of images of over 40 BECU members that will be featured in television, radio, billboards, digital and social media and through partnerships in the community with organizations BECU supports.

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