12/14/2009

Living Young & Free Show 009: Giving Back, Christmas Presents on the Cheap and New Year's Resolutions

By Tim McAlpine

Episode 009 is here and it's all Christmasy! Myles from Alberta donates some coats, Josh from South Carolina offers up some practical and inexpensive gift ideas, DeAndre' from Texas asks people for their resolutions and we all celebrate DeAndre's last episode as the 2009 Young & Free Texas Spokesperson.

You can also download all of the episodes as a podcast from iTunes.

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12/09/2009

I was on the CU Chat Up Radio Show today

By Tim McAlpine

I was on Carla Day's CU Chat Up Radio Show today with Shari Storm from Seattle's Verity Credit Union. First, Shari talked about her new book and then Shari and I talked about Verity Mom. Finally, Carla and I discussed my recent 30 things blog series (yes, I know it's only 22 things so far).

Thanks Carla for inviting me on the show! Keep up the great work with CU Chat Up.

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12/06/2009

Chris Anderson joins the growing army of Young & Free Spokesters

By Tim McAlpine

I'm in Alabama right now. On Saturday night, I was at an event where we named the 2010 Young & Free Alabama Spokesperson. His name is Chris Anderson, he's 25 and he's really happy right about now.

We managed to plan a surprise in conjunction with Listerhill Credit Union's staff Christmas party. Check it out.

Having now done five of these surprise videos, I've noticed I get caught up in the moment and my steady hand goes out the window! Other than a few choice shots of the ceiling, I think it really came together nicely.

I spent Sunday with Chris going over his Spokester Manual and getting him up to speed on all things Young & Free. I am really impressed with Chris and I can't wait to see what he comes up with this year.

He told me something that blew me away. Chris decided to start putting his entry together 24 hours before the application deadline. After some encouragement from friends, he headed to the university campus and filmed his application video with his iPhone! Figuring that his potential employer might have an issue with his scruffy beard, he then headed to a hair salon. On his way, he stopped by a hardware store and picked up two suction-cup hooks and a zip tie to affix his iPhone to the mirror!

What really blew me away though, was Chris' challenge video. If you haven't seen it yet, please spend three minutes and do so. It ranks among the very best Young & Free videos ever created.

Again, not one to stick to convention, it was filmed with a friend's Canon 5D—a high-end still-picture camera with HD-video capability. The steady-cam effect is achieved with the new image stabilization function in iMovie '09 and it was lip synched to perfection in post production. This video gives me goose bumps.

Welcome aboard Chris! Now, I've got a plane to catch.

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12/03/2009

Credit unions listen up: young adults want respect, money and singing!

By Tim McAlpine

During the voting phase of our search for Young & Free Spokesters, we issue an assignment. Complete a three-minute video that answers the question, "What do young people want from their financial institutions?"

There are now 12 such videos. One, two, three in Texas. Four, five, six in South Carolina. Seven, eight, nine in Alberta. They are all fantastic and provide worthwhile insight for those credit unions interested in attracting the next generation of members.

We can now add 10 through 12 in Alabama. They are presented here for your viewing and learning pleasure.

First up is Chris Anderson and his Young & Free Musical.

Second is Goose Gossett and his creative use of Skype.

And finally, Bryan Hall takes his questions to the street.

Learn anything? I do, every time I view these challenge videos.

Even though there are now well over 500 videos that have been produced for Young & Free, I still grin from ear to ear and get choked up seeing the passion, energy and talent that young people pour into their videos.

Awesome.

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12/02/2009

What's next? Is it branded content?

By Tim McAlpine

I find myself pondering the question "What's next in financial services marketing?" a lot lately. There has been this two- to three-year rush to embrace social media and now everyone seems to be here! Great, now what?

I am not sure what's next, but I have observed that it is getting increasingly tough for financial institutions (and any company for that matter) to stand out amongst the increasingly crowded social media space. It is no longer the wild social media west, it's starting to feel like Manhattan in rush hour!

With new media evangelists (Denise Wymore, you know who you are) giving traditional media its last rights, and companies tweeting til the cows come home and clamoring for Facebook fandom, it's bringing to light the absolute need for high-quality break-out content in both written and video form. Enter branded content—a modern spin on the age-old, serialized soap opera. From Wikipedia:

Advertainment is a relatively new form of advertising medium that blurs conventional distinctions between what constitutes advertising and what constitutes entertainment. Branded content is essentially a fusion of the two into one product intended to be distributed as entertainment content, albeit with a highly branded quality. Advertainment, unlike conventional forms of entertainment content, is generally funded entirely by a brand or corporation rather than, for example, a Movie studio or a group of producers. However, it can be argued that this is just a new name for the same type of marketing that was pioneered by soap manufacturers in the early days of radio and television with the soap opera.

With 24 hours of video content being uploaded to YouTube every minute, there is something to be said for producing entertaining content that rises above a guy trying to set a record for the most kicks to the crotch (click at your own risk) and dogs riding skateboards. Producing quality content that people want to watch and spread to others is becoming increasingly important to get noticed.

In our own little way, this is what we have been attempting to do with our Living Young & Free Show.

Now ponder this new example of financial services marketing: In Gayle We Trust brought to you by American Family Insurance and produced by NBC Universal Digital Studios. Here is a press release for more info.

From the about page:

Nestled somewhere in the middle of America, Maple Grove is populated with a host of colorful characters, and they all turn to one person for insurance needs, counseling and much much more. Though an insurance agent by trade, Gayle Evans has become the default cure-all for the small town, as her pleasant disposition and sound advice has made her a go-to resource in the lives of her clients. From a newlywed couple seeking weekly marital advice, to a over-confident plumber trying to protect his coveted identity, to a traveling hypnotist needing liability coverage, Gayle's clientele range from sympathetic to pathetic to outright bizarre. In Gayle We Trust, a 10-part comedy series from NBCU Digital Studio is written and directed by multiple Emmy-winner Brent Forrester (The Office, The Simpsons, King of the Hill).

It immersive, it's entertaining, it must cost millions. What can we learn from this? Is branded content the equivalent of Web 3.0? Is it the next big thing?

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