Watchfire® Case Study: Watch What Happens.
CREDIT UNIONS :: Sussex County Federal Credit Union - Sussex County, Del.
Background
Sussex County Federal Credit Union in Delaware has been in
business for more than 50 years, serves roughly 22,000 members, and
boasts $200 million in assets. Still, it's not without its
challenges. For one, many in the Sussex County community don't
fully understand the differences between a bank and a credit union.
Some people are scared off by the word "union," and this
misunderstanding gets in the way of the credit union's efforts to
attract new members.
Results
Sussex County FCU has used traditional advertising for years. But
in early 2009, in an effort to better distinguish itself from the
competition, it embraced a newer, more progressive advertising
medium: an electronic message center by Watchfire. Today, four of
its five branches are outfitted with LED signs. According to vice president of
operations Allen Riley, the signs have proven to be incredibly
effective sales tools. "Since we've installed the signs, we've seen
an increase in membership, checking accounts, and credit card
sign-ups," he said.
:: SIGN SPECS ::
19mm Color LED
Matrix: 48 x 112
6 Lines x 22 Characters
40" High x 8' Wide
Case Study
In the past, Sussex County Federal Credit Union has relied on
traditional advertising to appeal to new members. But with
newspaper circulation dwindling, it began exploring other options.
After months of research, the credit union finally decided that an
electronic message center would provide the
highest return on its investment. Vice president of operations
Allen Riley was put in charge of buying the sign.
"We generally ask for bids from three different businesses when
making a big purchase," he said. In this case, one of those
businesses was Phillips Signs Inc., an exclusive reseller of
Watchfire Signs by choice.
Phillips Signs sales manager Matt Phillips and Watchfire
representative Ben Barr met with Riley for an on-site sign
demonstration. Riley had looked at other brands, but none impressed
as much as Watchfire. "It stood out immediately because of its
clarity," he said. Still, Riley continued his research, driving the
roads of Sussex County looking closely at other LED signs owned by
local businesses. "Eventually, I recognized a pattern," he said.
"All the best-looking signs had a Watchfire logo
on them."
More than a few Sussex County businesses have trusted Watchfire
thanks to Phillips Signs' relationship with the brand. Matt
Phillips says being a Watchfire dealer, "just makes good business
sense. We've dealt with other manufacturers, but Watchfire
offers a superior product," he said. "We like the overall
package Watchfire offers, from tech support to software
to the product in general."
Sussex FCU was so thoroughly satisfied with their first purchase
that they installed Watchfire signs at two other branches. "At our
fourth location, we had to apply for a zoning variance because the ordinance
wouldn't allow LED signs. We recently received that variance,"
Riley said. That was a relief because the signs are far more than
an advertising tool for the credit union. "I'm a retired state
trooper, and when I realized we could use these for Amber Alerts
and promoting community involvement, that appealed to me right
away," he said.
In the end, an LED sign
does numerous things for the credit union: it gets attention;
it educates the public; it serves as a venue for community
messages. Most importantly, it does what it was purchased to do -
increase traffic in each Sussex County FCU branch, driving up
membership numbers.
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