It’s 2007. April of 2007. It’s time to stop putting clip art and stock art and crappy images on your marketing stuff. Stop it. Now.
In the past two months I’ve been on the road speaking to credit union marketers. In Wisconsin, Georgia and now Tennessee I’ve seen the same scary thing. We are all using the same stock art!
Since deregulation in the late 1970’s, credit unions have been desperately trying to get you to move your checking account (aka share draft) over to them. They will call it “free-er” and bribe people with iPods or cash to get you to switch over. We just HAVE to have your checking account.
What do you, the member, get in return? Perhaps the ugliest debit card (aka check card) you’ll ever own. How did this happen? One can only guess that the debit card vendors are not marketers and presented their client with the “page-o-stock-art” and suggested they take a minute to pick out the one they liked best. The VISA coordinator marched the page down the hall to the marketing person who took it to their board marketing committee and they decided to pick the least exciting and most literal image. The picture of the check with the pen poised over it. In grey.
I have seen this exact stock art image on at least a dozen DIFFERENT credit union’s debit cards in the past month. It’s embarrassing. We look so….. 1977.
Remember those members who would spend (what felt like) hours pouring over the selections for their checks? Should I get puppies or kittens? Why did they do that? Because they were going to be writing checks all over town and they wanted something that reflected their personality.
So why can’t we do this for the VISA check card? At the very least, let’s get a card that reflects the common bond of your credit union. If you serve teachers, maybe a cool old chalk board? Postal workers, the postal eagle? Firefighters, their cool logo ? If you serve a community, get a digital camera and go take a picture of something unique. But for heaven’s sake, please stop using stock art.
I gotta go watch the The Love Boat .
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April 18, 2007 at 12:48 am
Rachel
Ha ha- I had “the lamer version of that one” in Nashville. Right on!
April 18, 2007 at 6:33 pm
terrell
Debit card art makes my head hurt. Right now our debit card is ugly. It is beige and has our logo and the Passport Lifestyle logo.
Unfortunately, since the card is co-branded, we don’t have much of an option as far as the artwork goes. The Passport logo on the card needs to be easily recognizable so that when it’s used at a merchant, they know to provide the member with a discount.
Last weekend I was at my favorite store, Lush. I used my debit card to make a purchase and the girl literally thought it was a fake card. She gave it back to me with a laugh and said, I’m going to need a VISA or Mastercard. I had to point out the VISA logo to her and promise it was legit.
I’m a bit off-topic here, but I’ll bring it back ’round. At least stock art is recognizable. Yes, it’s ugly, but if it works…it works. I miss my old debit card with the orange leaves against blue sky…so pretty.
April 18, 2007 at 6:36 pm
Denise Wymore
Terrell,
I HAVE that Passport Lifestyle logo card (from the V)….and I thought it was a fake too when I got it.
Who do we talk to? Who are these Passport people and where DID they get that clip art?
April 18, 2007 at 9:02 pm
Ron Shevlin
Denise,
While you’re at… would you mind telling the firms you talk to also quit using stupid stock photos on their web sites. Why they think a picture of the happy couple washing their car on their driveway with their perfect 2.3 children is going to make me want to do business with them is ridiculous.
ING Direct and ETrade have been very successful over the past few years building a financial services business using [primarily] the online channel. And you NEVER see stupid stock photos on their sites.
As always, thank you for letting me use your little space of the blogosphere to rant.
April 18, 2007 at 9:21 pm
Denise Wymore
Ron,
If you are a MAC user I’d love to send you my “Shiny Happy People” (tune by R.E.M.)keynote prez. I debuted it last year at the CUES Nexus conference. Some were offended that I used THEIR shiny happy people in such a mocking way. I simply replied, “YOU put it on the WORLD WIDE FREAKING WEB!” I make no apologies.
I spent maybe 10 minutes randomly pulling financial institution websites for my examples. It was that easy — you are so right – they are more plentiful than flies on dog poop.
April 18, 2007 at 9:54 pm
Ron Shevlin
I don’t have a Mac, but I should get a copy of that song. “Shiny Happy People” should be my theme song.
Me and Simon Cowell.