Banning the "B" Word Not Worth the Trouble

We had made the commitment a number of years ago not to use the “B” word in our marketing and advertising. After years of trying to change our members’ behavior and vocabulary, we’d given up and began conservatively using “banking” as it is so well recognized as a generic term in the financial industry. We have not found any well-recognized alternatives to use instead of “banking” when describing our products and still be able to compete with banks; all we do is hurt ourselves even more by confusing not only our current members but potential members as well. I agree that many consumers think credit unions are tied to labor unions. Why confuse them even more by trying to educate them (via expensive mass media advertising) not to use the term “banking” when they are conducting their transactions? If/when someone out there comes up with an alternative that makes sense and is recognizable, we will be more than happy to entertain a ban on use of the “B” word. Karma Samartino Vice President of Administration Idahy FCU Boise, ID