Video game walks customers through a complicated account conversion.

• Position: Direct Mail - Brief article

Institution: Extraco Banks, Waco, Texas

Asset size: $1.2 billion

When the bank decided to discontinue its free-checking accounts, it came up with the idea of an interactive online game to explain the change to customers.

The bank sent out direct mail containing a link to the online game.

When the customer went online, an animated character, James, commiserated with them about the need to make a change. Next, he walked customers through the process, showing them how they could benefit from the change by earning rewards in addition to reducing or eliminating the new monthly service charge.

Customers were prompted to input data about their banking behaviors and James showed them how they could save and earn each month through a new checking account.

Then, customers moved...