PUTTIN’ ON THE DOG SUNOVA BRAND MAKEOVER BREEDS SUCCESS By Wendy King
M ost businesses wouldn’t think of letting the company go to the dogs as a formula for success, but for Sunova Credit Union it turned out to be a good instinct. When members walk in the door, there’s a good chance they’ll be met by one of Sunova’s two Directors of Greetings (D.O.Gs). The big, brawny sweethearts are Zeus and Gallagher, service-trained St. Bernards who are there to shake a paw with the public. Zeus spends most of his time in Pine Falls and Gallagher usually works in Lac du Bonnet, although he’ll spend more time visiting other branches over the coming months. Vanessa Foster, Sunova’s director of marketing says the D.O.Gs idea was born at a marketing conference, after an executive from 1-800-GOT-JUNK mentioned that he often brought his dog just to hang out at the office. "That one line was what started it all,” she says. "It’s been extremely well received and one of the most well-known aspects of our brand."
But the brand has been built on more than puppy love. One of the most innovative and progressive financial institutions in Manitoba, Sunova has a long and rich history, with roots dating back to 1955, when the Stonewall Credit Union Society was incorporated. In 1968, a merger with Teulon Credit Union led to the creation of the South Interlake Credit Union. And that’s where things stayed until 2007, when the marketing department decided it was time to make an even bigger change. "South Interlake Credit Union was an innovative and unique organization with a bright and cheery corporate culture, but the most visual aspects of our brand didn’t quite represent who we really were," Foster says. "While the building blocks for the Sunova brand were already there, we had to find a way to translate that foundation into a service experience, something our members and potential members could relate to and understand." The brand strategy was developed through member research and input from front- line staff, managers and board members. “From there we really drilled down into what some of the most important elements
Dog Days of Sunova: Zeus and Gallagher are the credit
union’s Directors of Greetings (D.O.Gs)
32 MBiz | November 2014
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