Idea bank.

• Position: Ad campaign awards

Samples of ad campaigns and other marketing materials from banks around the country. The creative includes print, radio, TV, outdoor, multimedia, point of sale, brochures, direct mail, annual reports, websites, public relations and sales promotions.

Editor's Note: We inaugurate here a new department showcasing recent examples of advertising and other marketing products from financial institutions of all sizes and locations. We encourage you to browse through this section monthly to pick up "idea starters" for your own marketing efforts. Included among the materials that will be published during the upcoming year are the winners of the 2003 Advertising Awards Competition sponsored by the ABA marketing Network. The names of advertising agencies are included where appropriate.

JUDGES SPECIAL AWARD ABAMN 2003 AD Awards Contest

PRINT SERIES

Do Something Amazing

Institution: First Citizen Bank, Raleigh, N.C.

Asset category: $12.3 billion; 338 branches

Advertising Agency: McKinney & Silver, Raleigh, N.C.

Branding was the main goal of this campaign: to improve both the bank's consideration and attribute ratings. A secondary aim was to increase new demand deposits. After four months of the campaign, consumer perception that First Citizen was "genuinely better than most other banks" increased by 12 percent Bank consideration increased by 46 percent.

MULTIMEDIA

Student Campaign

Institution: Zions Bank, Salt Lake City, Utah

Asset category: $10.5 billion; 145 locations

Traditionally, the college student market has been a difficult one to tap. Often students will open an account at the beginning of the school year only to take advantage of the premium being offered. After that, the account goes inactive.

Zions Bank decided to see if it could reverse this situation. The bank asked the advertising agency to develop a student-oriented campaign that would not only bring in new student accounts, but also would help to build long-term relationships that would be continued after graduation.

The result was a campaign that included a premium giveaway and contest to entice students to open an account (communicated in print, radio and in-branch merchandising) as well as the development of a student website, zionscodegreen.com.

The idea behind the website was it would evolve into a "cool" address that would not only provide students with leading-edge online banking, but also a place to find pertinent information, both financial and nonfinancial All advertising elements directed students to the Web address.

The campaign lasted eight weeks and had a budget of about $100,000.

BEST OF THE BEST AWARD

ABAMN 2003 AD Awards Contest

TV SERIES

See for Yourself

Institution: Columbia River...