Raoust + Partners

This credit union is headquartered in Washington, DC, inside the Department of Commerce building. It has assets of $233,945,474 with 14,285 members and is committed to sending financially responsible messages to its membership.

Challenge: To sell auto loans from a credit union that is very difficult to access.

Approach: The DOCFCU is not in a retail-friendly environment, there are security issues, and it is literally hidden in the bowels of the Department of Commerce building in Washington, DC. While DOCFCU membership is largely DOC personnel, their charter says they are open to any DC resident. Raoust+Partners understood the accessibility challenges and lack of retail presence for the bricks-and-mortar branch while the credit union tried to compete with the other financial institutions in their area. So, along with staff apparel and print advertising, we created a virtual storefront. This allowed DOCFCU to be accessible to members, whether they were inside the DOC building, at a nearby café or sitting at their own kitchen tables. The program, Ignition, not only led members to apply for an auto loan, it helped people quickly determine how much they could afford and showed them the competitive rate DOCFCU was offering. In addition, Ignition displayed a range of specific vehicles (changed out monthly), demonstrating different models at different price points, a nod to the different levels at which people live. The credit union is proud that it promotes responsible financial practices to its members, and this philosophy carries through the tagline, Live Well. Below Your Means., which Raoust+Partners also created for them.