Posted by Christopher Stevenson
I used to make a living writing copy. It was fun work, but took a ton of energy to churn out ideas, primarily because if a writer's not careful, every brochure will look and feel the same. The other risk is creating meaningless drivel. I've churned out my share of both types of cruddy copy, but I still get a little charge when I see someone else do it. 
Today I came across this page in a catalog. It caught my attention because the headline, "Wisconsin Heritage," is paired up with an image of gummi bears spilling out of a cup. I read the copy expecting to see something along the lines of "a favorite treat among early German settlers in Wisconsin" or "enjoyed by hard-working sausage makers as they worked long hours to supply Milwaukee with bratwurst." Instead, I got "Gummi bears created in almost everyone's favorite color." Hmmmm. Disconnected. Meaningless. Better not to have any copy at all.
We all spew blue gummis sometimes, probably more frequently than we'd care to admit. And consumers have become conditioned to ignore traditional advertising because of them. If we're going to stand out, we've got to show something different. FORUM Credit Union, Indianapolis, did it with Storylines, an online video magazine. Madison's Summit Credit Union broke through the static with a series of unique radio spots.
Who else is battling the blue gummi? Is your CU?
