Posted by Kelly Schmit
On May 22 at 11:16 a.m. Innovations Federal Credit Union decided to “Spark Change” with an impromptu public dance, called a flash mob, at the grand opening of Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport.
They continued their guerrilla marketing campaign on June 4, 6:42 p.m., at Friday Fest in downtown Panama City—and this marketer thinks they completed their mission with style!
Led by President/CEO David Southhall, a CUES member, Innovations FCU, Panama City, Fla., danced to parts of five songs, culminating in a little ditty where they all removed their jackets to reveal Innovations FCU T-shirts with the company’s logo and Web address on them.
One word people: Brilliant.
Not only did I sit through two four-minute, 50-second YouTube videos, I proceeded to the CU’s Web site to see what the credit union had to offer. Once there, I saw they carried their “Spark Change” theme throughout the site. They also held my attention seamlessly from screen to screen as the site was extremely easy to navigate.
Although Innovations FCU didn’t invent flash mob marketing, they are the first (at least the first I have seen in my almost four years in the business) in the credit union industry to try this approach. Following in the footsteps of powerhouses like T-Mobile, H&M and Oprah can be a daunting task, but Innovations FCU held its own.
In an age of over-the-top social media campaigns and in-your-face communication, I think Innovations FCU capitalized on a unique way to capture attention, create buzz and drive people to its Web site and credit union.
Hats off to you, Innovations FCU. Job well done. What does everyone else think about flash mobs and the buzz these campaigns have created?
