Reader's guide.

• Position: IDEA BANK

The "Idea Bank" showcases outstanding examples of advertising and other marketing campaigns from financial institutions of all sizes and locations. The names of all advertising and communications agencies are included where appropriate.

Customer Acquisition/Brand Awareness

No Fees for Me

Institution: First Trade Union Bank, Boston

Asset size: $614 million

Agency: JetPak Media, Cambridge, Mass.

The bank launched its "No Fees for Me" campaign to promote the bank's Virtual Checking account--a no-fee consumer checking account that rebates foreign ATM fees up to $20 a month. The bank's objectives were to acquire new clients and increase brand awareness.

The advertising campaign was broken out into two phases, the first running from May to July 2011, and the second, from October to December.

During the first phase, consumers were asked what they would do with the money they saved with the bank's ATM rebate program. As an incentive to encourage participation, the bank awarded three random entries with $1,000 cash prizes.

In the second phase, the bank showcased actual responses it received from consumers in the first phase and used imagery in advertising that corresponded to the responses. As an incentive, the hank provided customers with the opportunity to earn $100 in cash by opening the account and enrolling in online Bill Pay and direct deposit. The bank also held a sweepstakes, awarding one random entry with an Apple iPad2.

The multichannel, two-phase campaign combined out-of-home advertising with direct response tactics, in-branch materials, social media efforts and employee referral incentives. These efforts included billboards, subway and railroad posters, print ads and radio spots along with direct mail postcards to Boston and Long Island prospect and targeted emails. The bank launched its Facebook page during the first phase of the campaign and its Twitter feed during the second phase.

The results: The bank opened 732 new Virtual Checking accounts during the campaign (starting 2011 with 98 accounts). The Facebook page drew over 650 "likes" and the dedicated landing page, NoFeesForMe.com, received over 1,800 hits during the campaign.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Shown here is the creative from the campaign's second phase, which ran in the bank's Boston and Long Island, N.Y., markets.

Branding

Mission Impossible

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

[ILLUSTRATION...