It’s great to celebrate! On July 30, the Marketing Association of Credit Unions (MAC) announced the winners of this year’s MAC Awards. Among the winners were five credit unions who partnered with Synergent to create their innovative, profitable, national award-winning campaigns.

“The credit unions we work with are absolute rock stars and we are so proud of their MAC Award wins,” shared Doug MacDonald, Vice President of Synergent Marketing Services. “The team here at Synergent enjoys the collaborative, creative process that we work through with our credit union partners to complete these successful campaigns. It’s a partnership that blends goals, ideas, and expertise to achieve more together. The MAC Award wins are an honor and testament to the value of teamwork.”

Award recipients included:

Gold:

• Sebasticook Valley FCU: Onboarding Campaign
• Katahdin FCU: Annual Report

Silver:

• KV FCU: Auto Refi Campaign
• Connected CU: Reboarding Campaign

Bronze:

• Oswego County FCU: Auto Loan Campaign

Award-Winning Campaign Spotlight

Experience Maine Onboarding Campaign
Sebasticook Valley FCU | Pittsfield, ME
Members: 11,961 | Assets: $133,899,903
Gold MAC Award – Image Enhancement
$500 Million and Less

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Sebasticook Valley FCU recognized that many of their credit union’s new members were not aware of all the products and services that were available to them. The credit union’s goal was to welcome new members while increasing product penetration and retention per new member.

To accomplish this, they partnered with Synergent Marketing Services to create an automated onboarding program that raised awareness of the credit union’s brand along with the products and services they provide. During their first 30 days of membership, new members received a personalized postcard with an outdoorsy theme that used words like “discover,” “explore,” and “navigate” to suggest action the member could take in adopting additional products and services.

This campaign also was honored earlier this year with a CUNA Diamond Award.

Growing One Member at a Time – Annual Report
Katahdin FCU | Millinocket, ME
Members: 8,065 | Assets: $82,345,372
Gold MAC Award – Annual Reports
$500 Million and Less

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Each year, Katahdin FCU creates a theme for their annual report that can also be incorporated at their annual meeting. Their goal is to create excitement and foster engagement to encourage members to attend. This year’s theme focused on growth, with the title “Growing One Member at a Time.” The creative design used whimsical bubbles as a focal point due to the subliminal message they convey. Bubbles grow without losing integrity, they float with ease (indicative of the credit union’s ability to be nimble and change), and they reflect their surroundings. Production costs were reduced by using only two colors on pages inside the report.

This campaign also was honored earlier this year with a CUNA Diamond Award.

Auto Refi Campaign
KV FCU | Augusta, ME
Members: 10,690 | Assets: $91,625,914
Silver MAC Award – Market Segment Program
$500 Million and Less

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KV FCU had a specific goal in mind: to increase their auto lending portfolio by 2% over the same period during the prior year. They partnered with Synergent Marketing Services to launch an auto refi campaign that targeted existing members who were identified using data mining. The postcard campaign clearly, concisely, and creatively communicated the offer. By reaching the right members with an offer of relevance to them, the campaign was a great success. KV FCU exceeded their goal, bringing in 50% more in new lending over the prior year!

Connect to What Matters Most – Reboarding Campaign
Connected Credit Union | Augusta, ME
Members: 8,532 | Assets: $101,968,682
Silver MAC Award – Image Enhancement
$500 Million and Less

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Connected CU wanted to increase retention and product penetration within their membership. Over an eight-month period, Connected CU completed an automated email and direct mail reboarding campaign that played on their brand with the theme, “Connect to What Matters Most.” The creative elements were designed to portray moments in life that each member could relate to while focusing on products they were most likely to adopt, such as checking, eServices, and refinancing.

This campaign also was honored earlier this year with a CUNA Diamond Award.

Financial Freedom Auto Loan Campaign
Oswego County FCU | Oswego, NY
Members: 12,478 | Assets: $111,726,098
Bronze MAC Award – Market Segment Program
$500 Million and Less

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Data mining and eye-catching creative were key to Oswego County FCU’s auto loan campaign success. The credit union wanted to increase their auto loan portfolio. They used defined criteria to determine which members were most likely to be interested in taking advantage of the offer to refi or obtain a new auto loan. These targeted members received postcards and companion emails communicating the loan offer. In addition to being award-winning, the campaign was very profitable, with the credit union seeing a 12% increase in total auto loan balances over the same period in the prior year!

About The MAC Awards

Since 1986, the MAC Awards have honored and celebrated the work of credit union marketers. MAC serves as a trade association for credit union marketers and seeks to provide opportunities for professional development.

Learn More

Congratulations to all of this year’s MAC Award Winners!

Feeling inspired by what you saw? Partner with Synergent for your next campaign! For more information, please contact Synergent Marketing Services.