MACU, Marketing Association of Credit Unions

James Robert founded PTP NEW MEDIA from his bedroom, during his sophomore year at San Jacinto College.

Since then, PTP NEW MEDIA has helped credit unions build relationships with members with the help of offline, online, internal and external marketing channels. Their work has won many state and national marketing awards. He is also behind the movement to help make credit unions fashionably cool with CU*SWAG and was named the first “CU Times Trailblazer 40 Below” of 2012.

James Robert will be speaking at the 2013 Strategic Marketing Conference in Whistler and challenging delegates to #destroythebox. He wants credit union leaders to look outside for inspiration and see how non-financial companies are making a difference in the world.

James Robert, recently wrote an article for Credit Union Times, titled Creative CUs: People, Product and Process, that will give you a sneak peek into what to expect during his presentation.

 Join us, and be prepared to #destroythebox

photo courtesy of Sxc.hu/asifthebes

The direct mail piece promoting the 2013 Strategic Marketing Conference has gone out. If you haven’t received yours yet….keep an eye out for it.

We are happy to see that MACU members crew are already embracing the Whistler culture and having fun placing the awesome stickers we sent out.

We’d love to see how you’ve used your sticker pack, email it to us at info@macu.ca.

We put together this guide to answer any questions that you may have about the conference. From where to register, to how to get there – this guide will be a great resource for you.

An update to an earlier post on our search for AIME judges.   We have had to move the judging to Manitoba so we are now looking for judges in the Selkirk, MB region.

If you are available March 19th and 20th and interested in judging please email info@macu.ca

We are looking for:

• Industry experts in the marketing, communications and advertising fields
• Judges can be from an agency, supplier or credit union. Please note if you have entered an award you will not be eligible to judge the category entered.
• You will be asked to review the entries in each category and provide us with a score  We take the average score from across all the judges to determine the winner.

Compensation

• Recognition in our winners booklet – complete with photo and bio.
• $250 cheque as a thank you for giving up your time

It’s that time of year again… the Call for Entries into the 2013 Achievement in Marketing Excellence (AIME) Awards.

The AIME Awards recognize the best and the brightest achievements in marketing, advertising and communications.

The deadline for submissions is March 15, 2013.  The winners will be announced at the 2013 Strategic Marketing Conference and AIME Gala dinner taking place on May 28th in Whistler, BC.

Visit the AIME page for more details and to download the entry forms.

Good luck!

Meet Doug Walker, of Trigger Communications in Calgary.

Doug will be presenting during the Strategic Marketing Conference in Whistler  BC.

He is a frequent speaker that shares insight on social media, digital communications and his experience in creating the viral sensation around the World Championships of Rock Paper Scissors. Yes, there is a World Championships!

Doug’s session titled: Social Media: How being risk-averse is the biggest risk of all will help you to:

• Assess the efficacy of current social media efforts
• Craft a channel strategy that strengthens a sense of cause and community around the brand
• Understand the role that appealing content plays in the success or failure of social media programs

We are thrilled to have Doug at the 2013 MACU conference. Connect with Doug on Twitter @DougWalker!

To get you excited about the 2013 conference we thought we would highlight some of our speakers in a blog post. First up is Steve Jones, author of Brand Like A Rockstar…

Steve will be presenting Wednesday morning. We think he will do a good job of waking you all up after a late night at the AIME After Party.

Our new idea for the 2013 MACU AIME awards emcee was a hit with MACU receiving creative credit union talents and over 1000 votes in total on our Facebook contest.

We’re changing up format of the 2013 AIME awards gala (more on that soon) so we want to change up our emcee role too!  With that two winners have been chosen to co-host the AIME awards together  in Whistler, BC:

Randy Schuran, Community First Credit Union

Doug Bridges, Metro Credit Union

A special thank you to each participant who took the time to submit their entry. They will each receive a conference voucher as a thank you for their support of MACU’s next big star.

Looking forward to seeing what Randy and Doug on stage and of course, looking forward to seeing all of you next Spring!

Join fellow credit union marketers and become a member of MACU.  Memberships are $275 + tax for a principle member and any additional members, at the same credit union/business, are $100 + tax.

What do you get?

• Up to $315 off conference fees
• Complimentary webinars
• Free career postings
• Ability to enter the Achievement in Marketing Excellence (AIME) Awards
• Airline discount
• Access to members only forum
• Visit the peer directory and connect with other members

To find out more or to sign up for a 2013 membership please email info@macu.ca.  We look forward to connecting with you!

With all the buzz around our current contest for the Next CU Star to be the emcee for the 2013 Achievement in Marketing Excellence (AIME) Awards, we thought it would be a good time to hunt for AIME judges.

As you know this competition has become the symbol of marketing excellence within the Canadian credit union system. The AIME Awards showcase the most impressive, effective and creative marketing and communications  in the credit union industry.

This year the judging will take place in Vancouver.  AIME winners will be honoured at our annual AIME Awards Gala, taking place in Whistler, BC in May 2013.

We require a panel of four judges that will review all material, provide scoring and select the winners in each category.  Judging the AIMES will give you a chance to see the creative work submitted by credit unions across the country.

What we are looking for:

• Industry experts in the marketing, communications and advertising fields
• Judges can be from an agency, supplier or credit union. Please note if you have entered an award you will not be eligible to judge the category entered.
• You have to find your own way to the judging site in Vancouver for two full days: March 26 and 27
• You will be asked to review the entries in each category and provide us with a score  We take the average score from across all the judges to determine the winner.

Compensation

• Recognition in our winners booklet – complete with photo and bio.
• $250 cheque as a thank you for giving up your time

If you are interested in becoming an AIME judge or know someone who would be perfect for the job, please contact us at info@macu.ca.