PSCU’s Make Your Money Matter platform has won the South by Southwest (SXSW) Interactive Award for Best Website in the Educational Resources category, the company announced today. The site was also named one of five finalists for the coveted People’s Choice Award determined in voting by the public.
Make Your Money Matter is PSCU’s social media platform to help credit unions communicate their value proposition to the Millennial community. The SXSW Interactive Awards were held last week in Austin, TX during an overlapping set of music, film, and emerging technology festivals attended by over 32,000 people. The event honors projects created by the interactive community that push the boundaries of achievement in digital content from a variety of industries.
“We knew we were pushing the boundaries when we created Make Your Money Matter as a platform to help our Member-Owner credit unions connect to the Millennial Generation where they live – in the digital world,” said Fredda McDonald, PSCU’s EVP and Chief Creative Officer. “The future for credit unions lies in their ability to do what they do best today – take care of the financial needs of their members – but to do so in new ways digitally. Make Your Money Matter can assist by enabling them to attract, educate and engage a new generation of consumers by highlighting their enormous value using social media. It is nice to have digital marketing experts, like the judges at SXSW, validate that we are on the right road with the quality of the platform we are building.”
Make Your Money Matter speaks to the key Millennial demographic, young adults between 18 and 34 years old, through Internet and social media outlets and encourages them to make the switch from banks to credit unions. In addition to educating consumers on the differences between banks and credit unions, the interactive campaign spreads the message with shareable copy and visual assets designed for channels like Facebook and Twitter. The platform’s site also includes a calculation tool that allows consumers to see how much big banks could be profiting from their deposits.
PSCU collaborated with digital agency, Firstborn, on the site’s design, content and functionality.
“Our goal was to not only explain the benefits of joining a credit union, but to do so in a way that was really approachable,” said Gabe Garner, Firstborn SVP, Digital Development. “Illustration has always been a good way to set this up and flows nicely between a linear video story and an interactive one.”
Since it was launched in November 2013, Make Your Money Matter social media metrics are trending well above anticipated benchmarks, garnering over 31 million unique impressions on Facebook during the first eight weeks of the Beta Launch. The platform has already collected numerous marketing and advertising industry awards for design, content and interactivity. The website was named “Site of the Day” by Awwwards.com in late 2013. In February, Make Your Money Matter won a Gold ADDY Award for Websites and Consumer Services at the American Advertising Federation’s awards ceremony held recently in Tampa, FL.
The initial launch of the platform had participation from eight credit unions in key markets: Redwood Credit Union (Santa Rosa, Calif.), GTE Financial (Tampa, Fla.), Baxter Credit Union (Vernon Hills, Ill.), Firstmark Credit Union (San Antonio, Texas), Bethpage Federal Credit Union (Bethpage, N.Y.), Michigan First Credit Union (Lathrup Village, Mich.), OnPoint Community Credit Union (Portland, Ore.) and Mazuma Credit Union (Kansas City, Mo.). PSCU has taken the results of that initial test and will launch the platform with their entire member base in April at their MoPRO 2014 member conference in Las Vegas. For more information contact: Myles Bristowe at .
About PSCU: Established in 1977, PSCU (St. Petersburg, Fla.) is the nation’s leading credit union service organization (CUSO) and serves more than 1,500 financial institutions nationwide. The company is owned by nearly 700 member credit unions representing 16.5 million credit, debit, prepaid, online bill payment, mobile and electronic banking accounts. Comprehensive 24/7/365 member support is delivered through four contact centers located throughout the United States that handle more than 18 million inquiries a year.
Through a focus on collaboration and initiatives to mine the collective intelligence from all corners of the cooperative, PSCU’s Member-Owners are positioned at the leading edge of innovation. The combination of PSCU’s commitment to leadership in mobility and excellence in risk management, strategic consulting and technology creates PSCU’s foundation for the strongest partnerships with its Member-Owners. For more information, visit the PSCU website at www.pscu.com.
MEDIA CONTACT
Jim Major, PSCU
Phone: (800) 443-7728
(800) 443-7728 ext. 4189
Email:
SOURCE: PSCU
This press release is distributed by PR NewsChannel. Your News. Everywhere.
