North Country Savings Bank (NCSB) is one the most trusted financial institutions in Upstate New York’s St Lawrence County. For over 100 years, they’ve become known as the ‘neighbor you can depend on,’ through good times and bad, and a leading supporter of their communities. Showcasing this dedication to their customers became our challenge.
We chose to use traditional marketing tactics to highlight NCSB’s unique and genuine care for their customers by telling the story of a 60-year old relationship with a bank customer, Otis Van Horne. Over 60 years ago Otis and his wife were denied a home mortgage to build their first home because he could not provide the required minimum down payment. Then bank president, Roy Basset, looked at Otis’ situation beyond a down payment and decided Otis’ financial future looked healthy even if his current down payment was minimal. The president sent him a hand-written postcard offering to help finance Otis’ mortgage for his first home. The rest as they say, is history.
Using this unique and incredible story, we created a traditional marketing campaign that communicated NCSB’s relationship with its customers today is very much like it was back in 1955, when people like Otis needed someone to give them a chance.
Our integrated advertising campaign included a TV commercial, radio spot, newsprint advertisement and print collateral. Each marketing piece maintained the message that the bank’s attention to their customers was unchanged – that they would strive to consider the whole picture of young borrowers today just as they did from young Otis over 60 years ago.
