Success Stories
Whitefish Credit Union Launches Credit Card Program
By Donna Adinolfe
Background: Josh Wilson, VP of Marketing at Whitefish Credit Union, Whitefish, Mont., launched a credit card program for the first time early in 2019. Up against heavily marketed national campaigns, Whitefish Credit Union couldn’t compete with points or cash back.
What they did: By focusing on the card’s low interest rate, Wilson created a fun video advising members to keep the savings and create their own rewards program.
Result: The video mailer, a unique concept in direct mail, was super successful and the credit union saw a 6.8% response rate generating $176,000 in loan balances and a 61% ROI.
Key Learning: Bigger isn’t better. If your credit union has a deal that’s better for consumers, a low-cost video, produced in-house can get the message across. Be creative, and understand that you can change people’s perception of what they see as a negative (no rewards).
