Company: Valley Strong Credit Union, Bakersfield, CA
Nomination Submitted by: Meaningful Works
Company Description: Valley Strong Credit Union, established in 1938, stands as a leading financial institution deeply rooted in the Central Valley community it serves. Committed to member empowerment, Valley Strong personalized financial solutions with a mission to foster economic growth and prosperity.
Nomination Category: Marketing Campaign Categories - Specialty
Nomination Sub Category: Brand Experience of the Year - Business-to-Business
 Nomination Title: Valley Strong Credit Union - Business Owners Have Questions
- Which will you submit for this nomination, a video of up to five (5) minutes in length about the nominated campaign or program, OR written answers to the questions for this category? CHOOSE ONE:
Written answers to the questions
- If you are submitting a video of up to five (5) minutes in length, provide the URL of the nominated video here, OR attach it to your entry via the "Add Attachments, Videos, or Links to This Entry" link above, through which you may also upload a copy of your video.
Video Links embedded.
- If you are providing written answers to the questions for this category, you must answer this first question: Specify the date on which this campaign or program was launched:
January 31st, 2023
- If you are providing written answers to the questions for this category, you must answer this second question: Describe the genesis of the nominated campaign or program: the reasons it was initiated, the challenges it was created to address, the problems it was developed to solve, etc. (up to 250 words):
Total 136 words used.
Valley Strong Credit Union has been a staple in the Central Valley community for nearly 85 years. The Credit Union offers a full suite of consumer and business banking products and services for their members. Our objective was to get established and prospective business owners in the Central Valley Community, who are feeling alone and unsupported, to consider Valley Strong as their go-to bank for their business needs. For this campaign specifically, we faced the challenge of low brand awareness. Rarely did people add Valley Strong to their consideration set for their business banking needs. This campaign provided a huge opportunity for Valley Strong to elevate their Business Banking presence by highlighting the wide range of business product offerings, the white-glove customer service, and the close-knit community and partnership that members receive when banking with them.
- If you are providing written answers to the questions for this category, you must answer this third question: Describe the development of the campaign or program: the planning process, the goal setting, the creative and media development, the scheduling, etc. (up to 250 words):
Total 126 words used.
Our campaign goals were to capture new business accounts, drive overall awareness of Valley Strong's business services in existing markets and promote their dedication as a trusted financial partner. Our target audience was established and prospective businesses generating 0-$50M located in the Central Valley of California. Through market research and customer interviews, we identified several preliminary profiles across two dimensions: industry and demographic background. Our target industries included medical practices, school districts, trucking companies and professional services that were good referral sources. Demographic backgrounds included women small business owners, minority small business owners and local entrepreneurs. Through our omnichannel approach, we brought to life relatable situations that business owners resonate with, reinforcing Valley Strong as a local and dedicated business partner in the communities they serve.
- If you are providing written answers to the questions for this category, you must answer this fourth question: Outline the activities and concrete results of this campaign or program since the beginning of 2022. Even if your initiative started before 2022, limit your response to activities and results since the beginning of 2022 only (up to 250 words):
Total 78 words used.
This was an omnichannel campaign spread across CTV, Youtube, Social, OOH and email. Social drove over 2M impressions with a healthy click-through rate. YouTube drove 1.7M impressions with a 38% view rate, which is 1.5X the industry benchmark. CTV reached 254K unique households and email resulted in a 30% click-through rate across the holistic drip campaign. The media spend totaled $348,000 generating an impressive 3,290 new business accounts, which equated to +57% Year-over-year growth.
- You have the option to reference here any attachments of supporting materials throughout this nomination and how they provide evidence of the claims you have made in this nomination (up to 250 words):
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