Posted by Lisa Hochgraf
I've been hearing for a long time that CUs need to pay attention to the younger set. To reach out to youth so that when they come of age, they'll already be members. To have plans in place for how they're going to hook this elusive demographic.
Until recently, it just all seemed like hype. But I've started to think that maybe the resources are in place to support real action. Consider that:
- Filene hired Ben Rogers (a Northwestern J-school grad like me!) to lead national research and fieldwork about how to get young people more involved with credit unions.
- Glatt Consulting hired 20-something Justin Ho to "assist credit unions in developing 'next generation' membership outreach and growth strategy." Among other credentials, Ho is a board member of $300 million USC FCU, Los Angeles. Way cool, I say.
- PSCU Financial Services has launched ProjectNewAge.com, a learning center for the "dos and don'ts" of marketing to Gen Y that provides information on this generation’s unique lifestyles, media consumption habits and brand and media preferences.
- CUNA's YES Summit recently focused on targeting this demographic.
And of course, CU land bloggers like Tim McAlpine and Tony Mannor have been talking right along about projects and efforts to reach youth.
I thought there was enough going on here that I'm planning to have a writer dig deeper on these topics for the March 2008 issue of CUES' Credit Union Management magazine. Are you or a credit union you know of leveraging these opportunities to get in good with the younger set? Do you think we're moving away from hype toward action in this arena?
