Halfway Through, 'Open Your Eyes' Campaign Expands

On Monday, CUNA announced the expansion of the “Open Your Eyes to a Credit Union” branding campaign to include 24 states.

Texas, Tennessee, Rhode Island and Northern California are the latest areas to launch the OYE campaign, according to CUNA.

“We’re excited to stand alongside our credit union partners to bring the Open Your Eyes to a Credit Union campaign to more consumers across the country,” CUNA’s Credit Union Awareness Executive Director, Chris Lorence, said.

The campaign, which was first announced at CUNA’s Governmental Affairs Conference in 2018 and officially launched in January 2019, consisted of several awareness goals including to dispel myths about credit unions among the general public. Two common ones are that consumers believe they must belong to a specific group to join a credit union and that because credit unions are local, they won’t be able to access their money when they travel.

During a 2018 interview with CU Times, CUNA President/CEO Jim Nussle said, “I see a myth as a vacuum that needs to be filled. There’s the myth that you can’t become a member, but on the other side of that is you get to be a member. We want to use the word ‘member’ to convey value. Then there’s the myth that you won’t have access to your money when you travel, but the opposite side of the coin is you get to be part of a great, local cooperative.”

The campaign has reached the halfway point of the three-year plan, was paused briefly in March due to the coronavirus pandemic so campaign officials could, according to CUNA, reengage consumers and encourage them to consider a credit union for their financial services.

According to a statement on Monday about the expansion of the campaign into new states, Cornerstone Credit Union League President/CEO Caroline Willard said, “We are excited to roll out this initiative in Texas. This effort would not be possible without the generous support of our member credit unions in Texas.”

California and Nevada Credit Union Leagues President/CEO Diana Dykstra added, “We are excited to reintroduce the Open Your Eyes campaign in Southern California and launch in Northern California for the first time. Our efforts will spotlight ‘why’ credit unions are uniquely positioned to help communities and households in a world where so many consumers are looking for their best financial partner.”

In a statement from Tennessee Credit Union League President/CEO Fred Robinson, he said, “Credit unions are the world’s best kept secret. Many people know about credit unions but aren’t sure how they can become members and how they can access their money once they become members.”

Cooperative Credit Union Association President/CEO Ronald McLean added, “CCUA is excited to have the Open Your Eyes Campaign launch in Rhode Island. Enhancing awareness about credit unions with a targeted and robust digital campaign is energizing for the Rhode Island credit union community.”

The digital campaign, which is promoted on social media sites, credit union sites and other marketing channels, invites consumers to visit the yourmoneyfurther.com website that addresses credit union myths and educates consumers about other credit union benefits.