That's right, I said sexy.
It seems that every industry is making a push to make its offerings slicker, more attractive, more appealing to young people. When I say sexy, I don't necessarily mean skin - I mean the shift away from traditional types of ad campaign to ones that are slicker and appeal to a generation bombarded with advertising 24/7.
Even sectors where polish and gloss aren't expected are getting a Kardashian makeover. Take the website "letsfancer.com" for instance. And yes, the "f" stands for what you think it does.
In this case, the website and campaign is certainly eye-catching - when most of us think of cancer awareness campaigns, we envision pink ribbons and soft messages. This campaign definitely subverts that type of marketing and could break through to consumers who are used to seeing traditional ad campaigns.
Of course, being too sexy could backfire. One DC Credit Union was the object of a petition from it's members after it sent out this very risque mailer. After receiving the mailer, several members formed a petition requesting that disciplinary action be taken against whoever approved the mailer, which prominently featured a woman's bust.
The line between pushing the envelope and going crazy is very thin. A journalism professor I had in college used to say: "When you're thinking outside the box, make sure you don't fall off the table." In other words: there is such a thing as going too far.
What do you guys think? How do balance making progress in credit union marketing and doing so much we alienate members? Let us know in the comments!
DeAndre