Is Oven On? One CU’s Ads Go Viral With Some Saying They Contributed to ‘Preflight Anxiety’

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — “Did you leave your oven on?”

For travelers passing through South Bend International Airport, the question appears on a Notre Dame Federal Credit Union banner. After digital creator Molly O’Rourke posted a video of the sign, thousands of people weighed in online on whether the message was funny or an unwelcome source of preflight anxiety, the South Bend Tribune reported.

The oven sign is one part of a larger airport campaign built around things travelers sometimes second-guess after leaving home, Allen Stenberg, the credit union’s senior vice president of marketing, told the Tribune. Other banners ask, “Did you remember to water your plants?” and “Did you remember your phone charger?”

“The overall campaign at the airport was to make travelers smile and to acknowledge that familiar feeling,” Stenberg said. “It was meant to be lighthearted, but we understand that the messaging has generated different reactions.”

Mixed Reviews

Some people responding to O’Rourke’s post embraced the joke. Others said the oven question would prompt them to worry about whether they had left an appliance running. Commenters also shared ways they reassure themselves before a trip, including photographing stove knobs and recording themselves turning off lights or unplugging cords, according to the Tribune.

Julie Curtis, the airport’s vice president of marketing and air service development, told the newspaper that the airport takes passenger feedback seriously. The ad drew on the common experience of wondering whether everything was taken care of before leaving home, she said, while acknowledging that people respond differently to humor.

The credit union has advertised at the airport for years and rotates its messages, Stenberg told the Tribune. He said travelers should expect an updated campaign. Notre Dame FCU also maintains an airport-focused webpage inviting travelers to learn about membership and its banking services.