Credit unions offer an alternative to traditional banks and building societies for saving and borrowing. Traditionally, credit unions have been small, non-profit financial organisations set up by members with something in common to benefit their community - operating on the principle of people helping people. Many credit unions are now professionalising, and often have some form of commercial premises and offer products online.
Evergreen Credit Union is one of the largest and most innovative credit unions in Maine in the US, proudly serving individuals, families and local businesses.
We here at Superdoodle love hearing from clients like Evergreen Credit Union. Why? Well, banking is a pretty serious, and (eek, sorry to say!) potentially dull subject matter. And we like nothing more than cracking a challenge - taking a subject matter like banking and making it accessible and appealing.
Evergreen Credit Union got in touch after seeing some of our other work. They said they had been “captivated by the way the animation presented [the speaker’s] words and thoughts in a clever, touching and humorous way” and that perhaps we could talk about how that same approach might work for financial products. We love that they wanted to take this approach - I mean, we’re biased of course, but believe advertising should be fun!
The team at ECU provided us with a loose script and suggested the idea of using animal character/s appropriate for their area - a puffin, deer, bear, owl, seagull, moose, or lobster.
They wanted the landscape to be simple, clean, and clear; a pine tree or two, a few rocks on coast, a little shimmer of water. They wanted to give the viewer a sense of being on the Maine coast.
We collaborated on the final script, deciding that a short, punchy first person narrative would work well to engage their audience, alongside explaining what their company has to offer. Covering all the main key points about ECU whilst telling a short story was key.
After a few rounds of character sketching, we agreed that one little puffin stood out as being the warm, positive, and friendly character that they were after. We made sure that he/she was gender-neutral so as to reach anyone and everyone!
The client was so thrilled with the final animation that they asked us to prep it for broadcast, and it had 13 weeks airtime in the Portland/Auburn Market, in Maine in the US.
Director: Katy Ross
Designer/illustrator: Katy Ross
Animators: Ania Fyda and Katy Ross
Broadcast-ready audio mix: Laura Izzard
Mastering for broadcast: Ben King
