Denver, CO – March 27, 2008 – Amélie Company, a Denver-based advertising, public relations and marketing agency, announced today that its design work for the Credit Union Associations of Colorado and Wyoming has been recognized by the Credit Union National Association (CUNA) at the industry’s premier awards competition — the 2008 Diamond Awards. About 90% of America’s credit unions are affiliated with CUNA, making this a highly prominent accolade.

Amélie Company’s cutting edge design team, led by Senior Art Director Anita Ashfield-Salter, developed branding campaign materials for the Credit Union Associations of Colorado and Wyoming. Ashfield-Salter is a decorated art designer, having already received national awards for projects such as the Jeffco Credit Union corporate identity.

The branding campaign entitled “There Is A Better Way” launched in April of 2007 and was designed to brand credit unions as the preferred place to bank in Colorado and Wyoming for those hard to reach 18-34 year olds – Gen Y and Gen X. The resulting campaign was tailored with messaging that is direct, simple, honest, humorous yet subtle – designed to educate and inform these groups about the advantages of credit union membership. The campaign elements featured an “Average Joe" character who finds himself in a variety of funny financial scenarios. The campaign messaging drives to a single website, www.creditunionfacts.com, where consumers can get the facts for themselves.

“We are very excited with the results of this campaign. After the first year, our reporting credit unions have shown that over 42% of their new members have come from Gen Y and Gen X,” said Karen Morgan, Credit Union Association of Colorado and Credit Union Association of Wyoming Senior Vice President of Marketing and Communications. “We have also seen a halo effect of the campaign, showing growth in other demographics.”
 
The Diamond Awards receive between 1,100 to 1,500 entries per year. All entries are judged on five criteria – strategy, design and production, creative concept, copy and communication, and results. The judges are made up of a mix of nationally acclaimed credit union marketers and other marketing professionals familiar with the credit union industry.

“We’re really proud of the creative team we’ve assembled here,” said Robin Ashmore, Amélie Company Principal. “It’s quite an honor to receive this kind of recognition from our peers. Great creative work is the most important factor in helping clients to build their brands and increase sales.”

For more information on our award-winning work, please visit us at www.ameliecompany.com or contact: Robin Ashmore or Annie Coghill, Amélie Company, (303) 832-2700.

About Amélie Company
Amélie Company is a full-service advertising, public relations, marketing and interactive agency based in Denver, Colorado. The agency helps local, national and international companies to communicate effectively with their audiences, create presence, generate opportunities and produce positive, quantifiable results. Amélie employs a full suite of cutting edge design services that simplifies the complexity of interactive marketing. Amélie’s client roster is diverse, consisting of companies in financial services, broadcast media, technology, higher education, restaurant and entertainment industries and the sports manufacturers field. More information can be found on www.ameliecompany.com.