LSCU%20Cooperative%20Image%20Campaign%20kicks%20off%20second%20run%20of%20advertising

Contact: Mike Bridges – VP, Communications and Marketing 850.558.1022 mike.bridges@lscu.coop www.twitter.com/LeagueofSECUs

LSCU Cooperative Image Campaign kicks off second run of advertising in Alabama, Florida - Campaign will have a $1.2 million media buy - Consumers pushed to www.betternameforbanking.com BIRMINGHAM, Ala. /TALLAHASSEE, Fla., June 25, 2012 – The League of Southeastern Credit Unions

(LSCU) launched the second run of advertising for its Cooperative Image Campaign this week. The $1.2 million campaign is dedicated to raising awareness and membership for credit unions in Alabama and Florida.

The six-week campaign, using the tagline ‘Credit Unions: we’re giving banking a better name,’ looks to build on the awareness created by the 2011 campaign. Pre- and post-campaign research indicated there was an eight-percent rise in awareness of credit unions in Florida and a six-percent rise in awareness in Alabama following the September, 2011 run of the campaign.

Research also showed that 14 percent of consumers that had secondary relationships with credit unions (a car loan or saving account, but use another financial institution for main banking) moved their money to a credit union during the third quarter of 2011. The third quarter Call Report data showed a spike in membership in the third quarter.

“We’ve gotten a tremendous amount of positive feedback from credit unions about the campaign,” said LSCU President/CEO Patrick La Pine. “The ads resonate with consumers. They show that credit unions are modern and that they offer better rates and lower fees. Last year 65,000 consumers visited the campaign website in six weeks. Consumers are becoming more aware of why credit unions are a better place to do their banking.”

Generation X remains the target for the campaign which research shows is the largest demographic in the southeast that does not currently belong to a credit union.

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Contact: Mike Bridges – VP, Communications and Marketing 850.558.1022 mike.bridges@lscu.coop www.twitter.com/LeagueofSECUs The campaign will again utilize a combination of TV, radio, web, social media, and public relations efforts, depending on the amount of money raised in each media market. A second TV ad was developed using the same actor from the first campaign. The second ad continues to explore why more people don’t know what a credit union is.

The ads push consumers to a website (www.betternameforbanking.com) which illustrates the credit union difference by showing how much money a potential member will save on a mortgage or auto loan. Potential members can find a credit union near them, and one section of the website highlights the benefits of shared branching, and features a real-time social media feed showing what people are saying about credit unions.

The 2012 campaign has more than 110 credit unions contributing. The fundraising for the campaign is done on a voluntary “fair share” concept. The LSCU contributed the first $100,000 to the campaign, which is directly used to fund the creative. The shared branching networks in Alabama and Florida each contributed $25,000 to the campaign underscoring the importance of the shared branching message which is conveyed through radio ads and on the www.betternameforbanking.com website.

Scout Branding of Birmingham, AL again developed the creative aspects of this year’s campaign, which have also run in Mississippi and Connecticut. The campaign began running in many of the two states’ 13 media markets on June 18.

The League of Southeastern Credit Unions represents 309 credit unions in Alabama and Florida with a combined total of $57 billion in assets and more than 6.3 million members. LSCU provides advocacy and regulatory information; education and training; cooperative initiatives (including financial education outreach); media relations and information; and business solutions. For more information, visit www.lscu.coop.

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