Credit Union's New Name Has Lots of ... Zing
Denver-based CU says the new brand represents its energy to hit home runs for members and the community.
Some may say a Colorado credit union’s new brand has got a lot of zing to it.
And that was whole point of the former $457 million Denver Community Credit Union’s recent name change to Zing Credit Union.
The Merriam Webster dictionary defines zing as a noun with its No. 1 entry as: “a shrill humming noise,” while its second entry defines the word as “an enjoyably exciting or stimulating quality: Zest really put some zing into this industry.” And at least in the Denver market, perhaps Zing Credit Union has already accomplished that.
To address questions from curious and perhaps somewhat confused members about the credit union’s rebrand that officially launched in April, Zing posted a social media video last week featuring Marketing Manager Rachael Calderon and Vice President of Strategic Outreach Helen Gibson.
Calderon acknowledged that Zing sounds “really out there, like far-left field out there, almost like a fizzy soda of sorts.”
So she asked Gibson, where did the name come from?
Gibson said Barefoot Public Relations was hired to help search for and create a new name. The Denver-based firm took a close look at the credit union’s culture, its market research and conducted focus group sessions of board members, staff and members.
“They [Barefoot Public Relations] got direction from us. We said we want a name that is shorter, it’s easy to remember, it’s inclusive of the Denver metro area, and it differentiates us from other credit unions,” Gibson explained. “Often, we were confused with Credit Union of Denver, Colorado Credit Union or Credit Union of Colorado. There’s just a lot of location focused names out there. And lastly, we wanted a name that represented our energy to make an impact in our community.”
After discussing hundreds of proposed names, including a few that were offered by Barefoot Public Relations, the credit union selected Zing.
“We chose it on purpose to meet those criteria that were mentioned and because it represents that energy. Now, I’ve had a member tell me, ‘Well, that’s a swinging for the fences kind of name.’ And honestly, I couldn’t agree more. Because that’s what our staff wants to do. They want to swing for the fences and hit home runs for our membership.”
Zing’s 97 employees operate five branches and a drive-thru location serving more than 36,000 members.