LANSING, Mich. — LAFCU’s giant letters spelling L-A-F-C-U have won three Credit Union National Association (CUNA) Diamond Awards, including one “Category’s Best,” for the “Letters as Art” campaign that reimagined the letters as a traveling art show.
The 6-foot-tall letters, which cumulatively span 35 feet, were created for a television commercial honoring LAFCU’s 80th anniversary in 2016. When displayed in public, the letters became so popular they were put to work to further reinforce the LAFCU brand. The five letters were each repainted by a Michigan artist to create a mobile, billboard-size art show expressing the concepts of art, growth and community.
The campaign won Diamond Awards in the categories of brand awareness and multifaceted and was recognized in the outdoor category as the “Category’s Best.”
“We are honored that the ‘Letters as Art’ community campaign has been nationally recognized by CUNA,” said Kelli Ellsworth Etchison, LAFCU senior vice president of marketing. “The LAFCU letters have become our ambassadors, serving a dual purpose of strengthening LAFCU’s presence in the communities it serves and bringing original art to the people of mid-Michigan.”
The reimagined letters were unveiled July 2016 at Jazz & Blues On the Grand, sponsored in part by LAFCU. Over the next several months, the brightly painted letters were transported to various LAFCU-sponsored community events, such as Movie Night on the Capitol Lawn, a Lansing Lugnuts baseball game and Urban Air in Eaton Rapids.
The annual Diamond Awards represent the best of credit union marketing and business development nationwide in 30 categories. Judges evaluate entries based on strategy, design, production, creative concept, copy, communication and results.
The 2017 award program drew 1,139 entries to the competition. Kellie Swiger, LAFCU marketing specialist, accepted the awards at the trade association’s recent Marketing & Business Council Conference in San Antonio, Texas, last month.
About LAFCU
Chartered in 1936, LAFCU is proud to be mid-Michigan’s credit union, serving the counties of Barry, Calhoun, Clinton, Eaton, Gratiot, Ingham, Ionia, Jackson, Livingston, Montcalm and Shiawassee. A recipient of the Dora Maxwell Social Responsibility Award, LAFCU takes pride in bringing value to the financial lives of its members, neighbors, families and community. Offering a comprehensive range of personal and business financial products, LAFCU provides services that include checking and savings accounts, auto and mortgage lending, business accounts and business lending. LAFCU serves nearly 60,000 members, holds more than $600 million in assets, and maintains nine locations throughout Greater Lansing and Shiawassee County. Anyone who lives, works, worships or attends school in its designated counties is eligible to join. Members enjoy benefits, such as lower interest rates on loans, higher yields on savings, insurance discounts, preferred seating for LAFCU-sponsored events, and access to 28,000 surcharge-free ATMs through the CO-OP ATM network. LAFCU supports and enriches mid-Michigan by donating funds and employee volunteer hours to many organizations and causes. To learn more about LAFCU, please call 517.622.6600 or find us online:
• Website: www.lafcu.com
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/LAFCU
• Twitter: @LAFCULansing
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