President's Message

It is time for trade associations to rethink advocacy. With capitol buildings and legislatures closed off to public access for the better part of two years, lobbyists and advocacy communicators needed to forge new pathways to deliver their messages to policymakers. An informal review of various trade associations across the country reveals that some of the most effective associations were those who thoughtfully and deliberately took their messages to the media.

Early spring 2020 found legislators, regulators, and executive branch officials largely working from home and consuming vast amounts of media content across all channels. Whether it be targeted digital advertising to legislators, innovative social media campaigns, or even general interest TV news stories, policymakers were listening – sometimes actively and other times passively.

Here at the League, we redeployed our communications resources in two main ways. First, we utilized the broadcast media to get credit unions out in front as financial experts with the consumers’ best interests at heart. Potential members and legislators alike received this messaging. Second, we narrowed our focus and invested in targeted emails, and digital advertising campaigns to deliver more precise messaging to the elected officials themselves. People noticed. The League received multiple awards for its public relations work during the pandemic and the informal feedback we received from policymakers was overwhelmingly positive.

It is time to rethink advocacy. Connecticut’s credit unions may have a more compelling value proposition, but they do not share the same advertising or lobbying budgets as our competitors. Now, more than ever, we need to let our stories bubble up like a boiling pot. People are listening.

This holds true even at individual credit unions. One need only spend a few minutes searching TikTok to realize that the nature of commercial speech and persuasive communication is morphing right under our noses. How will you adapt to this inevitable change in your communications? Are you prepared not only to meet your members where they are, but also to walk with them to where they are going? How difficult will you find it to shift your communications strategy in this new environment? How will you recruit your members’ children and their friends?

As always,
Bruce