The northeast Wisconsin-based CUSO, Chatter Yak!, launched a balance transfer campaign at a Michigan credit union this month with notable success. Specializing in social media and online marketing, Chatter Yak! channeled pop culture in its campaign, which uses advertising inspired by Disney’s recent animated film, Frozen.

Launched with Alpena Alcona Area Credit Union (AAACU), the campaign candidly appeals to non-members, offering to reduce their interest rates on high credit card balances if they transfer them to an AAACU Visa^® card. “Let debt go!” reads a campaign ad, playing off of Frozen’s hit song, “Let it go,” which went viral on YouTube following the movie’s release. The campaign has captured the attention of AAACU’s market, resulting in a significant increase in balance transfers.

“You can feel the excitement among our team members… I just checked with our plastic cards department and we are seeing an increase in Visa applications already! Members that never had our card are applying for one,” said LeAnn Schultz, Director of Marketing at Alpena Alcona Area Credit Union

Chatter Yak! works to help credit unions breathe new relevance into their marketing endeavors and engage their membership on contemporary fronts. Their products range from an ROI calculator specifically designed for social media contests to programming for a youth group focused on financial literacy. Chatter Yak!’s goal is make credit unions key players in the financial market, and the Frozen campaign points to the magnetism available to them through thinking more along social media and pop culture lines.