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The aftermath of an anti-poverty demonstration is the setting for a Vancity TV spot promoting its new Jumpstart high-interest savings account
A portion of revenue from Jumpstart accounts goes to the Future Foundations program, which helps low income families.
The TV ad, by TBWAVancouver, opens with a couple lying face down on the pavement. “Well honey, no one ever said that making a difference would be easy,” says the man. “No, but there is that high interest savings account from Vancity,” she answers. “They donate a portion of the revenue to help fight poverty.”
“So we can affect social change by saving up for something,” says the man. The shot cuts to reveal the couple lying handcuffed in front of a police officer and his cruiser, and the super “Jumpstart. The only high interest savings account that helps fight poverty” appears on screen.
Richard Seres, the new vice-president of marketing for the Vancouver-based credit union, said Jumpstart should help the credit union stand out in a largely undifferentiated market.
“Everybody’s got a high interest savings account out there,” he said. “[Jumpstart] gives people the opportunity to give back to a major issue facing the Lower Mainland and also earn high interest in a savings account.”
He said the program and its marketing support also reinforces a core proposition of the credit union: “members funding members.”
Newspaper banner ads include headlines like “Last year we gave $5.2 million back to our members. And no, by members we don’t mean ‘CEO’,” and “Our members fund our members. So, your money is across the street, not across the border.”
Before joining Vancity this summer, Seres was executive director, marketing and communications at Queen’s University, and before that, group marketing manager for wealth management at CIBC.
“In these uncertain times people have become more cynical about large financial institutions and that’s where credit unions really have a great positioning in the marketplace,” he said of the Vancity.
