Auto loans are “bread and butter” loans for any credit union, but this promotion proves that “bread and butter” doesn’t have to mean boring.

In an era when many of the more expensive vehicles are leased, UECU identified working younger members, ages 18-25, as a relatively untapped market for new and used auto loans. Of course, this age group is also famously jaded and marketing-savvy, so we needed to do something special to earn their attention and trust.

For the “Free Car” promotion, we mailed out plastic tubes containing small plastic balloon-powered cars along with elaborate instructions for their use, an overblown list of the benefits of “high tech non- polluting jet propulsion” and a pitch for UECU auto loans, in case they want to get a car they can actually drive. It was entertaining and satirical, but it invited in a group that few other lenders had considered.