Harrisburg, PA, Nov. 27, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Earlier this month, the marketing efforts of PSECU, Pennsylvania’s largest credit union, were recognized by the MarCom Awards for the fifth year in a row. Each year, this international competition, administered by the Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals (AMCP) and designed to honor the creativity and hard work of industry professionals, receives more than 6,000 entries from dozens of countries around the globe. For 2018, PSECU entered 26 pieces into the competition, all of which received accolades.
“It’s such an honor for our team to receive recognition of our marketing efforts on an international level,” said PSECU Vice President of Marketing and Membership Development Barb Bowker. “It is our goal to produce and share valuable content that educates, inspires, and motivates our members and non-members to make their wallets work for them. I’m proud that my team continues to create award-winning content that ultimately makes a positive impact on the financial well-being of those in our community.”
According to the summary of the MarCom Award selection process provided on the official website, “Entries are judged at random and not compared directly to other entries in their categories… There are no lengthy essays to persuade the judges; all work is evaluated solely on its own quality, creativity, and resourcefulness. Judges base their decisions on learned perceptions of creative excellence rather than an entrant’s imaginative explanation of an entry’s value.”
The credit union received six Platinum Awards, the highest designation in the competition; ten gold awards; and ten honorable mentions. The chart below summarizes PSECU’s 2018 MarCom Award entries, along with their corresponding award categories, and the recognition level each received:
| Title of Entry | Entry Category | Recognition Received |
| 2018 Penn State® Athletics Sponsorship | Strategic Communications | Marketing/Promotion Campaign | Integrated Marketing | Platinum |
| Founder’s Alumni Rewards Cards | Strategic Communications | Marketing/Promotion Campaign | Product Launch | Platinum |
| Notables | Print Media | Print Creativity | Other | Platinum |
| PSECU 2017 Community Report Card | Print Media | Publications | Corporate Social Responsibility | Platinum |
| PSECU Branding Refresh | Strategic Communications | Marketing/Promotion Campaign | Branding Refresh | Platinum |
| Taking AIM/Core Conversion | Strategic Communications | Communications/Public Relations | Internal Communications Campaign | Platinum |
| PSECU Facebook Page | Digital Media | Social Media | Facebook Site | Gold |
| psecu.com – Website Content | Digital Media | Writing (Web) | Web Content | Gold |
| Hunger Action Month | Strategic Communications | Communications/Public Relations | Corporate Social Responsibility | Gold |
| PSECU Banking App | Digital Media | Mobile App/Web | App for Service | Gold |
| PSECU Blog | Digital Media | Web Element | Blog Overall | Gold |
| PSECU New Member Guide | Print Media | Publications | Company Overview | Gold |
| psecu.com | Digital Media | Design (Web) | Website Redesign | Gold |
| psecu.com | Digital Media | Website | Redesign | Gold |
| psecu.com | Digital Media | Website | Business to Consumer | Gold |
| psecu.com | Digital Media | Website | Financial Services | Gold |
| PSECU Savings App | Digital Media | Writing (Web) | Mobile App | Honorable Mention |
| PSECU/Hershey Bears Game Blimp | Strategic Communications | Marketing/Promotion Campaign |Special Event | Honorable Mention |
| Blue-White Tailgate Giveaway | Digital Media | Web Element | Games, Contests | Honorable Mention |
| Core Communications Plan | Strategic Communications | Communications/Public Relations | Communications Plan | Honorable Mention |
| Founder’s Card Calculator | Digital Media | Design (Web) | Web Interactive Capabilities | Honorable Mention |
| New Member Promotion | Strategic Communications | Marketing/Promotion Campaign | Promotion/Marketing Materials | Honorable Mention |
| Penn State® Snapchat Filters | Digital Media | Social Media | Snapchat Filter | Honorable Mention |
| PSECU “Vacation on a Budget Challenge” | Digital Media | Social Media | Facebook Engagement | Honorable Mention |
| PSECU Asks You | Digital Media | Social Media | Social Video | Honorable Mention |
| psecu.com Redesign Demo | Video/Audio | Video/Film | Informational | Honorable Mention |
“Our strategic marketing approach is to create content that is built with the consumer at the center, aiming to deliver a positive experience consistently across all channels. The recognition of our team in this year’s MarCom Awards affirms that our time spent building this integrated approach is paying off,” said Karen Roland, PSECU’s AVP, Marketing and Communications.
To deliver on this strategy, PSECU's Marketing Department handles much of the credit union's design work internally, taking the idea for each piece from conception to completion in-house.
“This marks the fifth consecutive year that PSECU has been recognized by the MarCom Awards, and we couldn’t be prouder of that achievement,” said Kerry Mullen, PSECU’s Creative Director. “Our creative team strives to always produce engaging, relevant, and visually appealing branded marketing collateral for our audiences, and these awards – from such a prestigious and well-known competition - affirm that we’re meeting our goal.”
About PSECU
Opened in 1934, PSECU was founded by 22 ordinary people who made an extraordinary commitment to each other: To create a financial institution where pooled resources benefit all members. Today, we are a full-service credit union serving more than 450,000 members and have over $5 billion in assets. As a not-for-profit financial institution, our goal remains to help our members and their families achieve a better life. For more information about PSECU, visit psecu.com. View our Community Report Card to learn how we contribute to the greater good.
INSURED BY NCUA. EQUAL OPPORTUNITY LENDER.
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