By Ray Birch
FRESNO, Calif.—Educational Employees CU never thought its name would be mentioned by ESPN sportscasters and in articles in Sports Illustrated, the New York Times and the Washington Post.
But that is what has happened, thanks to a humorous video spot the credit union created with NFL stars Derek and David Carr. The $2.8-billion CU created a commercial it continues to run TV and on the Internet that uses Derek Carr, the quarterback of the Oakland Raiders and his older brother David, a former NFL QB who played with several teams.
The video, which can be found here, is meant to appear as if Derek had dropped his first single with “EECU Records” called “A Bank I can Trust,” shows Carr in a fringe-trimmed jean jacket, rapping and singing the praises of EECU: “Bought a home at a great rate, got a car at a great rate, threw a touchdown at a great rate . . . oooh, oooh, oooh, EECU, EECU.”
David Carr, dressed as well in ’80s attire, appears in the spot trying to upstage his brother.
National Attention
The over-the-top, tongue-in-cheek ad—which contrasts the brothers’ quiet, conservative community minded reputations—has received a lot of national attention.
“The whole thing went crazy,” said Jim Lowe, EECU director of marketing. “When we launched it in August locally the video went viral. It was picked up by so many news stations…Then we got calls from ESPN, a lot of national newspapers, and Sports Illustrated called it the best athlete ad ever. We ended up with a phenomenal number of impressions, of course many outside our market. But this thing caught fire and tore across the country.”
Lowe said EECU thought the video would receive a lot of local attention, yet never expected the national spotlight.
But that’s a benefit of using talent in commercials who are well known, said Lowe. The Carrs both played football at Fresno State University and EECU signed the brothers as soon as Derek moved to the NFL four years ago.
After three years of fairly straightforward ads, Lowe said EECU decided to have some fun with the Carrs, who have a very good sense of humor.
“We started this campaign with billboards a few days ahead of releasing the video. The billboards had Derek’s face on them and hinted that something was coming. That got the attention of the local media and they covered it like it was a news event,” said Lowe.
Setting The Stage
The credit union also had an ad on its website and the brothers began posting on social media, hinting that something was coming, possibly music related.
“That really set the stage for things,” said Lowe.
Lowe, while not disclosing the cost for the relationship with the NFL players, said the Carrs are a perfect match for the credit union.
“You attach yourself to those who are well known, and whose values—their commitment to the community and solid reputation as individuals—match up with your own,” said Lowe. “This has been a great partnership.”
Lowe said EECU spotted the good sense of humor the Carrs have, and the banter between them, when shooting commercials over the years and decided to finally take advantage of that.
“Doing these shoots you could see how funny these two are together,” said Lowe. “So, we finally went with that.”
The commercial will run through football season and into the spring, said Lowe. The rest of the credit union’s advertising for the next 12 months will springboard off the spot, using the Carrs to talk more about products.
“In this commercial we really did not ask consumers to do anything, like join the credit union,” said Lowe. “But upcoming ads will highlight our mortgage products, auto loans and more.”
Lots Of 'Hype'
The viral video has Derek rapping about EECU being “a bank he can trust.” Lowe said the credit union used the term bank because it ties into the CU’s tagline—Smarter banking.
“While we embrace the credit union philosophy and all that credit unions are, we want to speak in terms more consumers can relate to,” said Lowe.
Lowe reiterated that the billboards and social media posts created a lot of “hype” for the video.
“Some people even thought Derek might be dropping an album,” said Lowe, who added that won’t likely happen, as Derek “does not like to sing. But he said he likes to play air guitar and pretend he is singing, like he did in video.”