Awareness Campaign


Click on television image to view video of Ron Ehrenreich’s interview. ** Note: The link is to the television station’s site. Video will appear on left after advertisement.	Click on television image to view video of Marie Betti’s interview. **

Ron Ehrenreich and Marie Betti, presidents of the League’s Central New York and Buffalo chapters, respectively, appeared on morning television news programs in their local communities last week to promote the credit union difference and the CreditUnionsFORYOU Awareness Campaign. Their appearances coincided with International Credit Union Week.

Ehrenreich appeared Oct. 15 on "Bridge Street with Rick & Julie," a morning news show on WSYR-TV 9 in Syracuse. Betti was an Oct. 16 guest on "AM Buffalo with Linda Pellegrino and Jon Summers" on WKBW-TV 7 in Buffalo.

During his interview with host Rick Gary, himself a credit union member, Ehrenreich emphasized how credit unions are not-for-profit, financial service cooperatives that are fundamentally different than other financial institutions, particularly banks.

Ehrenreich cited as an example how credit unions design affordable, consumer-friendly products, offer lower interest on loans, reduced fees on transactions and higher dividends on accounts.

"The message I conveyed to the audience was the primary message of the awareness campaign––credit unions are member-owned, better than other financial institutions and easy to join."

"This campaign is by far the best New York has put forth to date. The commercials have punch, they’re in your face and they represent a diverse public," continued Ehrenreich. "This campaign is a great use of dues dollars and good for the movement.

So much so that Ehrenreich is leading the charge to raise cooperative dollars to continue the campaign commercials in the Central New York region.

Betti spoke about the fundamental differences between credit unions and other financial institutions, going back to the earliest days of the movement.

"Credit unions really are about ‘people helping people,’ and this philosophy started right at the very beginning of our movement," she said. "Credit unions had volunteer boards of directors elected by membership. They started in the workplace, when employees needed to invest money or borrow money, and that philosophy still rings true today."

Betti had an attentive audience during her television appearance, not only on the airwaves but in the studio, as well.

The program’s co-host, Linda Pellegrino, is a credit union member, along with the producer, the producer’s assistant and the cameramen, all of whom shared their stories with Betti throughout her visit.

"Linda was very familiar with credit unions, and she spoke about how they offered more personal, friendly service than other financial institutions," Betti said. "Tellers will greet you by name, and we’ve even had members bring their pets into the credit union!"

Pellegrino also recommended that prospective members begin their search for a credit union by asking their employer, a point that Betti reiterated.

Betti followed by pointing out yet another way that credit unions are different and how they are there to help.

"With the chill of autumn creeping into homes in western New York and across the state, many people are turning on their furnaces for the first time this season and finding that they might need a loan to make necessary repairs. They’re going to come in, and we’re going to give them a loan for $1,500 or $1,000 that same day. Other financial institutions might not even bother with a loan that small."

Betti went on to answer questions from viewers who called in during the broadcast.

Following their debuts, the interviewees told the League of their nervousness on being interviewed live on television. Betti talked of practicing in front of her mirror and in the car, as well as how her heartbeat increased two-fold when, unbeknownst to her, the show initiated the call-in segment. Ehrenreich focused on the importance of promoting the movement as a whole, not his individual credit union to get into the swing of things.

We’re happy to report that each obtained their comfort level shortly after starting their segments. They also highly recommend soliciting media as a way to further spread the word about credit unions to their fellow credit union leaders.

Ehrenreich and Betti agreed that the timing of the awareness campaign couldn’t have been better with more than 350 spots airing on several major networks during prime time and the fall TV season premieres. They also thought that a comprehensive campaign to promote the "credit union difference" is essential in today’s competitive financial services marketplace. That it coincided with International Credit Union Week was like icing on a cake.

Betti reported that several co-workers who have seen the commercials and/or watched the show were impressed with the frequency and coverage of the campaign and how it truly portrays credit unions and the benefits of membership. The credit union also received several phone calls from people who tuned in to the show.

Each interview included plugs for the new www.creditunionsFORYOU.com website, with stations running the campaign’s defining visible element, the blue marker with the website address on it. They also posted the www.creditunionsFORYOU.com marker on their websites, which was a live link back to the CreditUnionsFORYOU website for consumers.