PORTLAND, Ore. – Every credit union may have its own tale to tell but Oregon Telco Community Credit Union, which recently changed its name to Unitus CU, has wrapped up a new brand identity campaign around its story. Created from the combination of the words unite and us, Unitus CU Vice President Planning/Business Development Laurie Kresl says the new name is more representative of the credit union's diverse membership and will help the credit union stand out from the competition. "Through the name change process we were surprised that so many consumers just didn't have a clue what a credit union is and that included our own members," said Kresl. "There was also confusion in the marketplace as to who we are and what we stand for. It took a long time to find the right name but once we did we realized that we have a great story to tell, so what better way to launch our new name and brand than with the Unitus story?" Ironically, Unitus was not part of the names tested in the focus groups, which Kresl says may have been for the best. "All eight focus groups reported they did not like made-up names-they didn't rate well at all," said Kresl. "But we knew Unitus was the right one because it spoke to everyone and to be fair if someone heard Pepsi or Xerox before knowing the brand it would be an oddity. With the name we picked we knew we had to build the story behind it." She adds that so far the member reaction has been very positive and an intranet database has been set up for employees to enter member comments. All complaints are followed up with a personal phone call and Kresl says it is also a great way for marketing to stay in touch with members. Working with Portland-based branding/marketing firm Creative Media Development (CMD), Unitus CU ran with the idea of creating small cube shaped "brand books" for employees to keep handy, to newspaper ads with more copy than art. The unique series of ads feature two columns of text that tells the Unitus CU story of what is a credit union, why consumers should care about the credit union difference and offers the suggestion that maybe the better place to bank is at the credit union. The only image in the ads is a sketch of a person holding the "U" in various positions. In addition to research and signage change, the $300,000 name change campaign will also include billboards and radio spots during drive time. "Our story is literally built around `U', which is a play on both our name and our members," said Kresl. "Our new tagline-Invested in you- further reinforces our dedication." Choosing the path less taken is nothing new for the 67 year-old credit union and Kresl credits a forward thinking board and management team. Faced with a lack of growth spurred by the downsizing of the telecommunication industry in 2001 Oregon Telco CU became the first credit union in the state to receive approval to convert to a community charter. According to Kresl, the community charter has helped bring Unitus CU closer to the community by focusing on the six counties served "to determine how we can help and what the real needs are." With a majority of members still from the telecommunications industry, the credit union is also looking to target the younger market. In addition, the board has launched an aggressive campaign to develop a more diverse group of directors. "They are amazing," said Kresl. "They said they are too one-sided and initiated the search for new blood who are younger and not in the telecom industry. Not only are we promoting it with mailings, on our Web site and in every newsletter but everyone is keeping their eyes and ears open during community events for opportunities to talk up volunteering." [email protected]