PASADENA, Calif. – Southern California is known for its car culture. So, it makes sense that Wescom Credit Union and Southland Credit Union would purchase customized PT Cruisers to promote membership. The $3.1 billion, Pasadena-based Wescom was the first to purchase the vehicles, buying three of them in early 2003 to be driven by the institution's three Business Development Officers. According to Yesceni Ramirez, Vice President of Business Development and Community Relations, the idea was to boost Wescom's image in the community and create more visibility when visiting select group worksites. “When they're used for onsites, not only can members look out into the parking lot and see we're there, even as we arrive in the parking lot it attracts a lot of attention,” Ramirez said. “And out in the community, it's a great tool to have,” she added. The cars are in high demand for the numerous community events Wescom sponsors each year, the Wescom VP said. And, when participating in exhibitions or trade shows, the car is used to draw people to the booth. To maximize exposure, business development officers not only use the vehicles for official credit union business, they drive them for personal use, too. This creates additional exposure for the community-based credit union, which serves the four counties that make up the greater Los Angeles area, as well as Ventura and Santa Barbara counties to the north. “All their neighbors know they work for Wescom, all the parents at their childrens' schools know they work for Wescom . it's quite a talking point, which we love,” Ramirez said. The credit union covers the cost of insurance and fuel, so in effect, the Cruisers are company cars for BDOs. Senior executive managers are the only other Wescom employees to receive such perks, which lends prestige to the Business Development Department. Occasionally, other Wescom employees are given the opportunity to drive the cars when needed, for branch events or if the BDO is out of town. “They're always pretty excited to have the opportunity to be in the driver's seat,” Ramirez said. In addition to the basic cost of the car, wrapping graphics cost a few thousand dollars for each vehicle. Wescom updated each car's graphics in February of 2004, to support the credit union's marketing campaign, “You're Banking Where?” Ramirez said perfecting customized graphics can be a complicated task. “It's important that you take them to the right place to have them done, for the sake of maintaining your corporate identity,” she said. “You learn that a blue is more than just a blue.” Additionally, Ramirez said, layering graphics affects the color of the paint; so, blending to match exact corporate colors must be considered. The credit union does some tracking to quantify the effectiveness of the cars, although Ramirez said they're not looking to recoup the vehicles' cost through new business. Instead, member service center reps ask potential members how they learned about Wescom, and track sightings of the Cruisers along with other traditional marketing methods such as community events, new hire orientations and advertisements. And occasionally, one of Wescom's 248,000 members will call just to report seeing the vehicle on the road or at a community event, Ramirez said. The vehicles also foster pride in Wescom's 700 employees. “They're nice looking and well maintained, and they're an extension of our marketing campaign, which reinforces the message with our staff,” she said, “And because we were on the cutting edge, one of the first credit unions to do this, our employees feel proud when they see them.” Ramirez recommends other credit unions consider their own customized vehicles, especially if they have a community charter. “I think it's a great investment for a credit union to consider,” she said. “It's a great lead to talk about financial needs, what we do and who we serve.” Southland Cruises with the Big Boys After seeing Wescom's PT Cruisers out in the community, Los Alamitos-based Southland Credit Union decided earlier this year to purchase cars of their own, according to Business Development Director Angelique Harris. The $400M Southland serves approximately 400 individual select groups, as well as residents of Orange County and Los Angeles gateway cities, which are located in the Southeast section of Los Angeles County. “We thought, `if we're going to purchase a billboard, why not get a mobile billboard?” Harris said. “We looked at what we spend on other types of advertising and figured, as much as we're on the road every day, we could afford to get at least one car instead,” she added. The board of directors approved purchasing more than just one car. In fact, Southland purchased three cars, two for use by Business Development, and one for the credit union's CUDL Representative. So far, the credit union has gained significant exposure from the vehicles, Harris said. “I get a lot of tailgaters, and I've literally had people follow me and approach me while I'm unloading the car to ask, `So, how do I join?'.” In addition to driving to and from business development and CUDL sales calls, Southland recently used the vehicle to promote a car sale at a local dealership. “Our logo is very familiar to our members, so they recognize it right away when they go to the dealership. We might not have the staffing to have someone on site during a car sale, but they know we're present because our vehicle is there,” she said. Like Wescom, the three Southland employees assigned to the Cruisers are allowed to drive them for personal use. And, Southland covers the cost of insurance and gas, both expensive items in California and a big perk for employees. The 30,000-member Southland only provides company cars for the three proud key holders of the PT Cruisers and its CEO. Because Southland's FOM covers a large geographical area, Harris said even if she were allowed to only use the car for business use, she would still be very thankful. “Wear and tear on your personal vehicle is quite an expense, and sometimes all the materials and supplies I needed to take with me wouldn't fit into my personal car,” she said, “so I'm very appreciative to my board and CEO for their recognition of the need for us to have these vehicles.” “We're looking forward to having them and taking care of them for quite awhile,” she added. -

[email protected]