Credit Union Channels TV Spotlight

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Turn on CNBC and you can get market advice from former hedge fund manager Jim Cramer. Turn on local TV station KJLA, and you can get money tips from Pascual Garrido.

He’s just one of the SCE Federal Credit Union employees who have recently offered financial advice as part of the credit union’s latest marketing strategy.

Since May, SCE Federal has been a sponsor of Spanish-language talk show “Tu Mundo Hoy!,” an hourlong weekday program that gives viewers tips on their health and personal finances.

Last week, Garrido taped segments about basic issues including saving money and using credit wisely. The show gives the credit union five minutes of air time every weekday, said George Poitou, the credit union’s chief operating officer.

“It’s branding and marketing for us,” he said. “Most people don’t know about us or about credit unions. But every time one of us speaks, there’s a logo in the background that says SCE Federal Credit Union.”

The program airs weekdays from 2 to 3 p.m.

Poitou said TV production has been fun so far, but it’s also been more work than he anticipated. The credit union signed up for 126 episodes of “Tu Mundo Hoy!,” so topics and interviews for many more five-minute segments are needed.

“It’s been a lot of time spent prepping for all of us,” he said. “On Wednesday, I’m going to spend all day taping four shows. It’s been more than what we expected.”

But is it effective? Poitou said he has anecdotal evidence that people are tuning in.

“It’s not ‘NBC News,’ but it’s growing,” he said. “We’ve had people call in and ask about business loans and people who walk into our branches and mention it.”

It’s become a hit around the credit union, too. Poitou said it was at first hard finding employees willing to go on the air, but that’s starting to change.

“Now we have employees volunteering,” he said. “Now that they’ve seen a couple shows, everyone’s getting used to it.”

– James Rufus Koren

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