How does a local savings and loan association with a limited advertising budget attract new customers and compete against the likes of M&T, Bank of America and PNC? That’s the challenge we faced when coming up with a campaign for Rosedale Federal, a bank that’s been serving Baltimore-area communities for more than 100 years.

The solution was to position Rosedale Federal as a trusted financial resource that goes beyond providing banking services, by taking a sincere interest in the financial well-being of its customers.

To maximize the reach of Rosedale Federal’s message, we recommended structuring the media buy with local television station WBAL to include the production of three 30-second TV vignettes. We provided the creative and WBAL produced “30 Seconds of Smarts” spots, which offered financial literacy tips for a younger audience on the topics of “First Time Homebuyer,” “Refinancing Your Home” and “What a Home Equity Line Could Do For You.” We supported the spots with one 15-second vignette to drive traffic to the Rosedale Federal website and one 10-second billboard to build awareness.

The financial literacy spots allowed Rosedale Federal to “play” in a larger advertising space and compete against the big guys. It also provided added value and communicated that Rosedale Federal is more than a community bank; it’s a trusted and experienced financial resource that can guide its customers through all their life’s milestones. Based on the great results and overall awareness generated from this campaign, we will be working with Rosedale Federal to create similar campaigns in the spring and fall of 2012.

Rosedale Federal “30 Seconds of Smarts – First Time Homebuyer”