VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Chartway Credit Union said it is taking a different approach to financial services marketing with a new brand campaign that focuses less on rates, fees and products and more on the life events behind consumers’ financial decisions.
The $3.2 billion credit union said its new “Brighter Way Forward” campaign was developed from member research and feedback designed to better understand the experiences, goals and life stages of its more than 265,000 members.
“You can open a checking account or apply for an auto loan practically anywhere,” said Whitney Huston, vice president of marketing for Chartway. “What’s harder to find is a partner who shows up for the moment behind that decision — the wedding, the new baby, the aging parent, the career change — without judgment, at every stage.”
Huston said the campaign was designed to address that gap.
Moving Beyond Rates, Products
Chartway said the campaign reflects an effort to differentiate the credit union in a financial services market in which institutions frequently compete on similar products, rates, fees and account benefits.
Instead, Chartway’s advertising emphasizes the financial decisions associated with major life events and the role a financial institution can play in helping consumers navigate them.
The campaign includes 90- and 30-second video spots developed using insights gathered through member research and ongoing feedback. Chartway said that research helped shape an approach centered on empathy and real-life experiences rather than conventional product- and price-focused financial advertising.
“People aren’t looking for another financial institution to sell them something,” President and CEO Brian Schools said. “They’re looking for someone who will listen, understand what’s important to them, and help them move forward with confidence in financial life decisions, whether fulfilling a dream or navigating a challenge.”
Grocery Belt Illustrates Financial Milestones
The campaign, developed with creative agency Second Sight Creative, uses a grocery store checkout conveyor belt as its central visual device.
Instead of groceries, the belt carries objects representing financial and life milestones, including a diploma, car keys, a box of diapers and a bale of yarn. The items represent events such as graduation, buying a vehicle, having a child and caring for aging parents.
As the objects accumulate on the conveyor belt, Chartway’s brand elements are introduced to position the credit union as a resource for members facing financial decisions and challenges.
The campaign’s “Brighter Way Forward” name comes from a line in the advertising that asks, “What if there was a brighter way?”
Jeff White, owner and executive creative director of Second Sight Creative, said Chartway’s member research helped shape the campaign.
“Our role was helping transform that understanding into a story people could see themselves in,” White said. “When financial institutions focus on people instead of products, the result is something that feels real, human, and grounded in the experiences members face every day.”
Campaign Targets Utah, Virginia
Chartway said the campaign will appear across streaming, digital and social platforms, supported by behind-the-scenes videos, photo-based teasers and a dedicated landing page.
A media buy developed by Second Sight is scheduled to run from mid-September through late November, with a focus on Chartway’s largest markets in Utah and Virginia.
Founded in 1959, Chartway has $3.2 billion in assets and more than 265,000 members, with branches in Utah, Texas and Virginia. The credit union also operates Chartway Ventures, a wholly owned CUSO that invests in financial technology and other financial services innovations.
