Hi there, credit union friends,
With temperatures still hovering in the nineties and heat indices rising even higher, Florida can hardly be described as fall-like. But since Labor Day has come and gone, all of the signs of autumn abound: racks of swimsuits replaced by stacks of sweaters in stores, college football flags flown in neighborhoods and pumpkin spice lattes poured in coffee shops.
Another clear indication of Florida’s false fall? School is in full swing! Here’s a snapshot of my youngest daughter during her first week of daycare:
Her big sister, of course, couldn’t be bothered to pose for a picture. 😅
Whether your young members have already returned to school or are still waiting to take their “First Day” photos, the beginning of the academic year represents another opportunity to spread the word about your institution’s youth and family programs. So for this edition of “Marketing Manatee Musings,” you’re enrolling in the School of Snigglezoo! Check out your schedule below to discover strategies for engaging kids and empowering parents both inside and outside of the classroom.
— 1st Period —
Program Promotion: The bell has sounded, and class is in session! First up is a program promotion workshop led by Iowa-based Community Choice Credit Union.
This institution shared an A+ strategy for advertising their new family financial wellness program. Namely, they chose to partner with an elementary school located near their newest branch, which is set to celebrate its grand opening in October.
Since each student receives a “take home” folder for announcements and assignments, Community Choice created a promotional piece to be included on the back. And Blazin’ Bananas! It features some familiar Money Mammals faces to grab kids’ attention, top-level highlights to entice parents, and a QR code to invite families to explore the program’s splash page.
Regarding the anticipated impact of this piece, Community Choice’s Marketing Manager, Bryce Verlinden, explains:
“These folders will be in the hands of over 500 students throughout the entire school year, which gives us near daily impressions of our Money Mammals program for the next 9 months, for a low cost! A true win-win for everyone involved!”
By leveraging a printed piece entering homes regularly, Community Choice offers a masterclass on the power of persistence. So their strategy gets a 💯 from this Marketing Manatee!
— 2nd Period —
Outreach Planning: Your day at the School of Snigglezoo is moving right along, and now you find yourself in an outreach planning course. But don’t worry if you’re feeling pressed for time or resources! This is one class where copying our work is highly encouraged. 😉
We’ve long offered Money Mammals materials that can be used in the elementary classroom or the community at large. (Think libraries, after-school programs, and even local sports leagues!) These educational tools include Reading Guides, which pair with the picture books in our “Share and Save and Spend Smart” trilogy, and a Teaching Guide, which works in conjunction with our award-winning movie, Saving Money Is Fun!
After numerous requests for instructional content for tweens and teens, we developed lesson plans that correspond to the first three shorts in our Adolescent$ program’s “Good Money Habits” video series:
- Save Your Money Instead of Spending It
- Weigh the Costs of Every Purchase or Decision
- Set S.M.A.R.T. Financial Goals
These tools, designed for use at the middle and high school levels, feature discussion questions, in-class activities based on real-life scenarios, as well as extensions and reflections that can be completed at home. All of the relevant prompts and worksheets are included, making these lesson plans valuable resources for engagement with Gen Z and Gen Alpha.
(And that rumor you heard swirling around the cafeteria earlier today is true! Our team is currently creating lesson plans for two additional topics in the “Good Money Habits” series. So be on the lookout for an announcement of their debut in the school newspaper … errr … this newsletter.)
If you are interested in sharing these materials with educators or community leaders, then feel free to contact me. We also plan to update the content periodically based on instructor feedback, so please encourage any teaching professionals to fill out this form once they have utilized these tools.
— 3rd Period —
Media Literacy: You’ve made it to your last class of the day, which focuses on a subject many kids and parents have yet to explore – media literacy. It’s being taught by Erin McNeill, the CEO and Founder of Media Literacy Now. Erin recently joined Chief Mammal John Lanza on The Art of Allowance Podcast to share strategies for opening up media literacy conversations with kids, just like parents can do with financial literacy conversations.
During their discussion, Erin and John touch on the following topics:
- Addressing child influencers
- Navigating smartphone and social media norms
- Helping kids understand manipulative marketing strategies
For more on this last point, watch the following video short. In it, Erin explains how the cereal aisle can help parents talk about advertising with their kids. 🥣
You can stream Erin’s full episode here. This evergreen topic is sure to help your young members and their families long after the leaves have turned!
Well, friends, that final bell means your time at the School of Snigglezoo has come to an end. I hope the classes you attended today serve as inspiration as you engage kids and empower parents this season. And if you’d like to be considered for a school superlative (Yes, I mean be featured in this newsletter!), then simply reply to this message to share your ideas with me.
📸: Tostoini on Giphy
Until next time, here’s to putting our best pumpkin-spiced flippers forward!
Erin Prim
Marketing Manatee
