Portarlington Credit Union

First things first, we had a look at their brand proposition. After an initial brainstorm with their board of directors and senior management team, we proposed a range of themes including ‘Portarlington Credit Union – Your First Port of Call’, which they really liked and ultimately chose as their preferred option (it was our favourite too).

Here’s a synopsis of the brand story we wrote for them, using the river Barrow which flows through the town as a metaphor:

“Life is like a river, with its ebbs and flows, ups and downs. There are stretches when the water is calm and life is good, and there are stretches when the water is choppy and life is challenging. At Portarlington Credit Union, we help our members to navigate the river of life by providing the support they need, when they need it.”

The board loved the idea which meant we were able to roll out an entire campaign very quickly and easily. The fact that the town is affectionately called ‘Port’ by the locals made the theme a natural choice. We were able to play on the word and weave in other lines such as ‘Proud of Port’ into the wider marketing campaign.

As for the logo, it made sense to re-design it as part of the new campaign. Whereas the old logo was very generic and somewhat dated, the new logo (a five-arch bridge) is very much in keeping with the new campaign. The bridge is unique to Portarlington Credit Union and a key landmark in its geography and history.