IDEA Bank.

• Position: List

Reader's Guide

The "Idea Bank" showcases outstanding examples of advertising and other marketing campaigns from financial institutions of all sizes and locations. Included in each issue are some of the winners of the most recent ABA Financial Marketing Awards hosted by the ABA Marketing Network. The names of all financial institutions or advertising and communications agencies are included where appropriate.

ABA FINANCIAL MARKETING AWARDS

Customer Acquistion and Retention; Asset Size: $1 Billion to $5 billion

ME Banking

Institution: Southern Community Bank and Trust, Winston-Salem, N.C.

Asset Size: $1 Billion to $5 Billion

Agency: The Bloom Agency

Maximum Earnings (ME) Banking was developed as a premium-free checking package that offered a high interest rate, free ATM use nationwide, free online banking and other benefits.

The bank positioned the product not just as another checking account but as a banking relationship.

The promotional campaign was multimedia: print, radio, Web, outdoor, direct mail, in-branch promotion, sales support, public relations and event sponsorship.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

The 'Me' concept was used to speak to various target audiences with lots of personality, including personification of items associated with the account--money, ATMs and debit cards.

First-year projected goals for new account openings were met within the first 90 days of introduction, and over $23 million in new deposits was generated in the first six months alone, well exceeding expectations. The account received national coverage in The Wall Street Journal and on the syndicated radio The Clark Howard Show, helping to even attract interest in ME Banking outside the bank's footprint.

Impact; Asset Size: $1 Billion to $5 Billion

A Commemorative Calendar for a 120th Aniversary

Institution: Home Savings & Loan, Youngstown, Ohio

As part of the institution's 120th anniversary celebration, the S&L decided to create a keepsake that would both remind older customers and educate younger ones about financial institution's long history.

Home Savings typically hands out "stock" calendars to customers during the holiday season. Last year, the institution decided to create a customized calendar depicting a decade-by-decade account of the company's history. The institution in-house marketing team began the process by searching through archives for photos and information and then writing the copy and designing the layout. The calendar fit the anniversary...