Currency is in the middle of a wonderful social media experiment with Alberta’s Common Wealth Credit Union. To promote Common Wealth Credit Union’s new Young & Free account to Alberta’s 17 to 25 crowd, Currency has created an integrated marketing program centered around the youngfreealberta.com microsite. The thrust of the program is finding and hiring a spokesperson from Gen Y to represent the product, the credit union and their generation. Tim McAlpine and the 2008 Y&F Spokesperson, Larissa Walkiw, spoke about the Web 2.0 dos and don’ts that they have learned and how this program is authentically appealing to a new generation of potential credit union members.

1. Y
Engaging
GEN on their own terms
PART 1

2. Larissa
Walkiw
19-year-
old
member
of
Gen Y

3. okesp erson
+ Sp
+ Artist
+ Filmm aker
+ Mu sician
+W riter

4. Tim
McAlpine
38-year-old
member of
Gen X

5. n adv ocate
+ Cred it unio
ative l eader
+ Cre
+ Mar keter
+ Sp eaker
+ Blo gger
heerle ader
+C

6. The
FACTS

7. ans are unbanked. What
“An es timated 40 million Americ
people and make them
are we d oing to reach out to these
nsider the need to attract
cre dit union members? Or co ulation is aging in general
younger m embers. Yes, the pop
ember is now nearly 50
—but the average credit union m market penetration is
years of age an d our lowest rate of
under the age of 25. The se ‘Generation Y’ young
for people just starting out on their
adult s are the people who are
ces, buying homes.
own, b uying cars, buying applian s dream, and too many
They’re a loan and mortgage officer’
finance and mortgage
of them are going to banks,
companies.” ris, CUNA Chairman
Allan Kemp McMor

8. Credit u
need to nions
with ne connect
w young
membe
rs

9. Our goal:

10. To get you thinking
differently about
ho w you can
make th ese new
con nections

11. GEN

12. Genera
tion
Y

13. A.K.A.
Millenn
ials

14. A.K.A.
Echo
Boomer
s

16. 1 4 to 28
years old
in 2008

18. KE Y VALUES & CONCERNS
Distrust
media

20. KE Y VALUES & CONCERNS
Technologically
savvy

21. KE Y VALUES & CONCERNS
Au thenticity
and a utonomy
im portant

23. KE Y VALUES & CONCERNS
Question
traditional racial
categories

25. CURRE
NT & N
EXT LIF
E STAG
ES
Entering
middle
school a
high sch nd
ool

27. CURRE
NT & N
EXT LIF
E STAG
ES
Finishin
and unig colleg
versity e

28. CURRE
NT & N
EXT LIF
E STAG
ES
Planning
years ah five
ead

29. CURRE
NT & N
EXT LIF
E STAG
ES
Looking
to long-forward
relation term
ships

31. EMOTIONS & AFFINITIES
Confident
but wary

33. EMOTIONS & AFFINITIES
Practical
Wo rld view

35. EMOTIONS & AFFINITIES
Goal
oriented

36. EMOTIONS & AFFINITIES
Respect parents
and education

37. EMOTIONS & AFFINITIES
Friends are very
important

39. PHYSIO
GRAPH
IC PRO
FILE
Role rev
males c ersal:
oloring
hair and their
jewelry, wearing
doing h females
ome rep
airs

40. PHYSIO
GRAPH
IC PRO
FILE
Not hea
they ha lth obse
ve their ssive;
lives ah own
ead of t
hem

41. SOCIAL ACTIVITIES & LIFESTYLE
Shop ping is
an event,
no t a chore

42. SOCIAL ACTIVITIES & LIFESTYLE
Raised in an
instant message,
e-m ail, social
netwo rk global
community

43. SOCIAL ACTIVITIES & LIFESTYLE
Aware of their
personal brand

45. PURCH
ASING
BEHAVIO
RS
Quality
is cool

46. PURCH
ASING
BEHAVIO
RS
Spend t
have fu o
n

48. PURCH
ASING
BEHAVIO
RS
Heavily
influenc
e family
purchas
es

49. PURCH
ASING
BEHAVIO
RS
Respon
truthful d to
aware o advertis
f image ing;
celebrit and
y hype

50. WEB
2.0

52. Courtesy of Brent Dixon from Trabian

53. Courtesy of Brent Dixon from Trabian

54. Courtesy of Brent Dixon from Trabian

55. Courtesy of Brent Dixon from Trabian

56. Courtesy of Brent Dixon from Trabian

57. OLD

58. NEW

59. SOCIAL MEDIA
Keep track
of chaos!

62. SOCIAL MEDIA
RSS

64. SOCIAL MEDIA
Blogs

66. SOCIAL MEDIA
Vlogs &
Podcasts

69. SOCIAL MEDIA
D iggnation
has 400,000
subscribers

70. SOCIAL MEDIA
CNN has
400,00 0 average
daily viewers

71. SOCIAL MEDIA
Social networks

79. The new
TRUTHS

80. Old m arketing
is dead!

82. ‘Ban k Junior’
is not a
su stainable
position

84. You are
only autnot the
your brhor of
and

85. Everyone
has a voice!

86. Geeks w
rule the ill
world!

87. Social m edia and
credit u nions can
b uild com munity

90. And...
Social media can
drive sales!

91. Stars
ALIGN

92. PERFECT SCENARIO
Courageous Real Freedom
credit union budget & trust
Relevant Integrated Long-term
product marketing commitment
Differentiated Authentic
brand Defined voice
market
Senior-level Social media
involvement & Web 2.0

93. The
PITCH

94. A gency brief:
to co nnect
We want
outh m arket
with the y
ern Alberta
in North

95. Introduce a free youth account
product to the 17–25 group
Raise awarenes s and acceptance
of under-the-r adar credit union
Crea te excitement and
understandin g with all 400 staff
members

96. Connect wit h a under-served
segment in an authentic voice
Direct prospects to the website that
is full of user-driven content
Bring a vibrant you th brand to life in
a way young peo ple would accept

97. PROGRAM OVERVIEW
Youn g & Free
The Launch Story

98. Larissa Walkiw
youngfreealberta@gmail.com
YoungFreeAlberta.com

99. Tim McAlpine
tmcalpine@currencymarketing.ca
currencymarketing.ca