Cu Web Hunt

By Joyce Moed, Reporter

Fairfax, Va.–Apple Federal Credit Union first used Code Green’s scavenger hunt website–CU Web Hunt–in June 2007.

The first goal of using CU Web Hunt was directed toward the Apple FCU’s staff as a way to get them interested in using the credit union’s website as a “game board” for a site-wide treasure hunt.

“It was also a good way to discover any bugs we may have made in providing the content that Code Green requested of us,” said Anastasia Parsons, marketing communications writer for the $1 billion CU. “The staff thought that it was great fun and that certainly helped in their adoption of and selling it to our members. We offered a drawing for all staff that competed, and we had nearly 70% participation. CU Web Hunt essentially ‘incentivizes’ members to explore the website in search of the interactive game piece icons–all while exploring the most important and strategic pages.”

When it was introduced to members, the credit union had participants the very first day.
“By the campaign’s end, we’d had nearly 2,300 members participate in the game,” Parsons said.
The main goals to this campaign were to generate increased awareness of key AppleFCU.org features, the two additional web portals hosted through the site, and the eco-friendly online banking services provided by the credit union. The results were marked increases in AppleFCU.org traffic, as well as the dive-down pages chosen as part of the web hunt.

“These jumps in volume proved–by the Apple model–that current and potential members were not only visiting AppleFCU.org, but those participating in the web hunt were systematically reading the Go Green tips that would direct them to required website pages to complete the game,” Parsons said. “By Apple’s standards, Go Green was a huge success.”

By the promotion’s end, Apple’s Go Green Web Hunt achieved its goal of creating awareness and increasing website visits by more than 17%. Active NetBranch users increased from 23,508 to 24,486–a jump of 4%–in the first six months. The average number of active eStatement users nearly doubled, growing from 1,218 additional users per month from the 645 average per month users calculated in the first six months of 2007.

Before this new technology, the 89,000-member credit union had been experiencing a decline in visits to its website.

“So we want to bring those levels back, and exceed them,” Parsons said.

The credit union had also added a new partner–Apple FCU Education Foundation–“that needed attention,” Parsons said. “Its link–and that of other key pages–we felt weren’t receiving their potential exposure. We felt by implementing this game, it could highlight our partner websites, our green services and increase website activity.”

Apple FCU found CU Web Hunt to be a successful way to market its products while educating its members.

“Members are playing a game while we’re purposefully directing them through our site,” Parsons said. “We were able to fully customize our game to include eco-friendly facts and how our products fit that mentality, as well as being good public stewards. Plus, once complete, they’re in the running for a chance at some great prizes.”

Since implementing CU Web Hunt, Apple FCU has used it as part of its “Go Green” promotional campaign.

“It helped out members learn some great, easy tips on how to be more earth conscious and perhaps save themselves money, time, hassle while helping the environment,” Parsons said. “It was an out-of-the-box way for our members to be marketed to. And I’m sure many of them didn’t even realize that the marketing was even happening.”