You are currently browsing the monthly archive for July, 2007.
Mark and I are on a Princess Cruise ship for the next 12 days. We travel from Southampton, England to Wales, Ireland, Scotland and France.
BIG idea from day one. Tellers should work for tips. There are 2800 people on this big boat. The staff (which is rumored to be around 2000) are flawless in their service. Sid, the waiter in the bar on the Promenade deck already remembers our name!! Big tip coming Sid’s way.
That’s the number one thing members say they love(d) about their credit union. The teller remembered their name. It’s so simple. Modern marketing.
Today I flew from Seattle to State College, Pennsylvania (via DC). It’s rookie season (meaning those darn vacationers are in my way) at airport security. People who I suspect have not flown at all - and definitely not since 9/11. People clutching their shoes in disbelief while others are putting their children through the x-ray machine because that TSA guy said the baby carrier had to go through and they thought that meant the kid too (I’m not kidding - happened in El Paso). Or the lovely woman that was visiting family and had several jars of her canned peaches in her carry-on. Um, that’s a liquid ma’am. It’s sad to see American traditions thrown away at the hands of TSA.
But I digress, the worst part of my day was seeing that now the security bins are sponsored by ROLODEX. Are you kidding me?
It’s bad enough that I’ve had to give up a perfectly good wine opener, my mace, my cigarette lighter (for concert purposes only), and can no longer carry-on my luggage because let’s face it - 1 quart-sized ziploc is NOT going to do it for MY liquids. (sidebar: this look doesn’t just “happen”) but NOW you’re going to make me read some lame advertising? Do I have no rights?
I didn’t even know rolodex was still in business. I mean who still buys these things? The same people that still type on an IBM Selectric I suspect. With the multiple font wheels.
Jack loves his Aunt Denise! Check out his shirt!
For those of you that have seen me speak on brand, you’ve probably heard me gush about an Oregon grown bank called Umpqua (pronounced, Umpqua).
I used to rely on cool companies like Apple, Starbucks and Saturn to illustrate my points about brand. Then along came Umpqua Bank. Nobody does brand better than them. And they keep getting better and better.
My friends over at Trabian are having an interesting discussion about their latest ”AD”. They don’t do traditional advertising anymore because, quite frankly, the word of mouth takes care of them. But they do continue to tell the story of being a “localist” and helping small businesses.
When’s the last time one of your ad campaigns made the New York Times?
I love this video on so many levels. So, modern marketers, what do YOU think?
I hate junk mail. Hate it. I’m shopping around for a bigger shredder because I hate it so much. I sort my mail over my shredder. I hate how those credit card companies are putting fake cards in there so you HAVE to open it to shred it separately. Bastards!! But the other day I got an envelope from NETFLIX. I love that company so I actually opened it. They don’t often send me anything besides my movies on time. Here’s what it said:
Great News! We’re LOWERING the price on our 2 DVDs out at-a-time plan to $13.99 a month (plus applicable taxes). Now you can enjoy NETFLIX for even less!
You don’t need to do anything - except pay less.
Enjoy!
PS - Your $13.99 plan not only gives you 2 DVDs out at-a-time but also the ability to watch 14 hours of movies and TV episodes instantly on your PC each month for no additional charge.
I am so loyal to NETFLIX now it’s not even funny. They are so smart to do this. I’ve purchased a subscription for two of my nieces already. . Blockbuster FINALLY is catching on and in the spirit of R & D (rip off and duplicate) is competing with an online rental program. So NETFLIX goes one better. Cable companies and cell phone carriers have done just the opposite.
When is the last time you sent a notice to your members that you were lowering your fees?
Your customers are only satisfied because their expectations are so low, and because no one else is doing any better. - Ken Blanchard
That statement makes me think of cell phone carriers and financial institutions.
Sprint apparently is hanging up on high maintenance customers. I love it. It’s a phone company that is almost impossible to get on the phone, that is hanging up if you call too much!! They will literally terminate your plan.
That sounds like a credit union charging a member a fee because they come into the branch too often. We would never do that - would we?
CNBC just covered this Sprint story. Why? Because Sprint is not doing well financially and with this latest “decision” is bound to lose even more customers. If you want OUT of your Sprint contract without paying the penalty and want to keep your phone number, you just need to call them. Repeatedly. It shouldn’t take too much time because you can’t get through. But they are keeping track of your attempts. After all, they are the phone company. They have the technology.
“We’re the phone company, we don’t have to care.” - Lilly Tomlin on SNL regarding the break-up of AT&T.
When Jesse Robbins invited me to attend the first ever BarCampBankSeattle I said “YES!” before I even knew what it was. I trust Jesse and want to hang with his peeps. Little did I know that his circle of friends include some of the best and brightest in the world. There are a few spots left. If you can make it (and BTW the sun has finally come ’round in Seattle) you need to sign up today!
I was speaking to a group of marketers in Florida last month explaining that traditional marketing is pretty much dead. I am not the typical household (yet) but consider this; I own TiVO (to avoid commercials) listen to my iPod in my car (to avoid radio ads) am registered on the national ”Do Not Call” list (to avoid solicitors/marketers) have pop-up blockers set on my computer (hate those banner ads) and own a shredder (haven’t opened a piece of direct mail in years).
Someone in the audience raised their hand and asked, “What’s left?” Jokingly I said, “Billboards.” You can’t avoid them. We haven’t figured out a way to screen them out while driving. In fact, you’ll notice that billboards are getting fancier and more in your face.
Billboards have become the visual pollutant of the 21st century. Except for one.
I just read an amazing post on one of my favorite blogs.
A bank in South Africa posted a billboard outside of a school. And they asked the question, what if a billboard could be MORE than a billboard? The billboard was built by the bank with solar panels on the top. It powers a school in one of South Africa’s poorest townships.
What if every billboard could make a difference like this?
This is modern marketing. Finding a cause and making a difference.
Sound familiar?
For the twenty years I worked in credit unions I was never a member. I was an employee with my account where I worked. I LOVED the convenience of banking. I never had to call the phone center, endure the list of “options” that at their core seek to confuse and lose me. I never had to stand in line for a teller on my lunch hour. I’d just see when there was no line and bop on up.
I never had to go through the humiliation of the loan application process. Sign in. Have a seat. Wait for the loan officer to come out, look me up on the clipboard, call my name and take me to the back. (feels eerily the same as my doctor’s office). I knew what they looked for. I could calculate my own debt ratio, get the Blue Book value on my own car, I knew my credit history. When I was ready I would approach my friendly loan officer/friend and tell THEM when I wanted it. Never a problem. Let’s move these member loans over here and get this done for you. I LOVED my credit union.
I never ever would have to worry about overdraft protection - that was my friend Dawnita who worked the NSF list. If I forgot to make a transfer, no problem. She’s not gonna let Courtesy Pay kick in…..
Today I am a member of your credit union. And I have to admit — what you represent to me is just another errand. I don’t GET to go to the credit union I HAVE to. When I opened my new account you didn’t set it up correctly and my joint owner never got his debit card. You also didn’t get me anything that has my account number on it (I was even told that I don’t need to know) so I can’t use Shared Branching. This morning I went in to your branch to make a deposit, order another VISA debit card and find out what my account number is. I did this on my way to my office. It was 9:15 am.
You don’t open until 10:00 am!!! You are a fairly large credit union in Seattle. The branch I bank at is located at your corporate office. I know there are people in that building. The people that make the decisions at my credit union. Maybe this is your strategy to “migrate” me to electronic services. The ATM can’t tell me what my member number is! Don’t MAKE me call your phone center. I haven’t the time or the patience for it today.
Those hours are WORSE than banker’s hours. And banker’s hours are a joke. Am I not your target audience? I use shared branching, bill pay, ATMS, online banking. But sometimes I need to see a person. Don’t you get that?
You have no idea what it’s like to be a member of your credit union.
I think I speak for all of us when I say - we are social creatures. Technology does not replace our need to interact with humans, it just gives us another option. ATMs did not replace tellers. Online banking did not stop your phones from ringing. And even your crappy hours won’t keep me out. I’m going to take off early today just to come in and see you. I hope you’re ready.
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