BECU has launched a new creative ad campaign that illustrates how to use the intersection of marketing and popular culture. It’s the kind of campaign that taps into our emotions and puts us—and our concerns—at the center of the message.

This venerable Pacific Northwest credit union has been communicating the benefits of its member-owned co-op model for years, but the recent banking meltdown and a collective frustration over the bailout has combined to create a perfect storm; an ideal opportunity for BECU to bring its message into sharper focus.

I spoke with Tom Berquist, Senior VP of Membership Strategy, about the new ads and asked him if the “move your money” campaign that started on the Huffington Post and has spread across the country had anything to do with the timing of BECU’s new ads. “People are taking a closer look at how their banks are operating, now,” he said, “and of course, we keep our eyes on social media, so the popular sentiment didn’t go unnoticed.”

The new campaign has several versions, but the one that caught my eye has a headline that reads, “We are owned by you. Not by Wall Street.” It cleverly taps into a perception many of us already hold; that big banks are less trustworthy than once thought, and contrasts it with BECU’s customer-centric business model. It’s pretty savvy and pretty creative.

This approach is nothing new for BECU, they’ve used great creative to win customers all along, and it seems to be working. While the average growth rate for credit unions as a whole is around 1% per year, BECU’s growth is eight to ten times that.

I first saw this ad in a branch window, but however the message is delivered, whether by print broadcast or electronic media, it will still resonate and make me feel like I’m understood.

It just goes to show what you can accomplish when you put your customers first by putting your creative first.