FALCON HEIGHTS, Minn.–SPIRE Credit Union won six MAC awards from the Marketing Association of Credit Unions (MAC). SPIRE received MAC awards in the following categories: Broadcast Radio Commercial, Community Engagement, Comprehensive Campaign, Financial Education, Logos, and Outdoor. SPIRE has received 30 MAC awards to date since 2017.
Below, the SPIRE marketing team, from left: Brian Thomas May, Zachary Schultz, Stephanie Johnson, Casey Carlson, Taylor Kilgore, Lisa Lehman, and Maria Daley.
The awards included:
Broadcast Radio Commercial (Silver) – Crisco: Since 2015, SPIRE has been a partner of the St. Paul based radio station, KSTP-FM (KS95). Longtime SPIRE member and KS95 Radio host, Crisco, recorded twelve unique commercials with SPIRE President/CEO Dan Stoltz. These commercials air on a regular basis and promote SPIRE’s multitude of products and services while highlighting both personalities.
Community Engagement (Bronze) – Buck$ for Babe: In June 2022, our friend Crisco, SPIRE member and KS95 Radio host, lost his loyal companion, Babe the black lab. In an effort to honor Babe and do good in the community, SPIRE teamed up with KS95 and local animal rescue, Secondhand Hounds, to create the “Buck$ for Babe” fund. SPIRE initially committed to matching $10,000, which was exceeded in minutes. To maximize support, an additional $15,000 was added, bringing total donations from SPIRE to $25,000. In just a few days, this campaign raised $98,906 to support rescue animals.
Comprehensive Campaign (Bronze) – Tony Oliva: SPIRE partnered with Tony Oliva – Minnesota baseball legend, National Baseball Hall of Famer, and SPIRE member. During Oliva’s 15-year Major League Baseball career, he won three American League batting titles and the 1964 Rookie of the Year Award. Since this partnership originated in 2022, Oliva has been featured in many of SPIRE’s marketing materials. This includes commercials, billboards, digital advertisements, and events.
Financial Education (Gold) – Twin Cities Live: Since 2020, SPIRE has partnered with KSTP-TV and Twin Cities Live (TCL) to bring financial education on air. In 2022, each month, SPIRE President/CEO Dan Stoltz brought his upbeat energy and wealth of financial knowledge to the TCL show. The segments were four-to-six-minutes filled with relatable content, retainable acronyms, and realistic financial advice – live on air to thousands of viewers. To view these episodes, visit SPIRE’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@spirecreditunion/videos
Logos (Gold) – SPIRE Sparky Show: SPIRE became the title sponsor of the SPIRE Sparky Show in April of 2022, a staple attraction that showcases Como Zoo’s seals and sea lions, originally launched in 1956. With this new partnership, SPIRE designed a new logo in-house that combines the SPIRE brand with Como’s beloved sea lion figures. Variations of this logo were created for different marketing materials, including promotional products, trainer uniforms, digital signage, and various branding elements around Como Harbor.
Outdoor (Bronze) – Grandstand: As a longtime partner of the 3M Open, an official PGA Tour stop located at TPC Twin Cities in Blaine, Minnesota, SPIRE was loud and proud on the new Grandstand primely located on the 18th green. The SPIRE Grandstand is open to the public, accessible, and seats up to 200 people. The Grandstand was open to fans every day of the tournament week and displayed many branding elements, including large signage on the front, back, and sides of the stands, branded tabletops and countertops, floor graphics, and clings on the back of each seat.