Banks Come and Go; But Taglines Live On

Today I was driving past my local Washington Mutual branch (affectionately know as WAMU) and noticed the temporary CHASE signs are covering anything that used to refer to the old names.WAMU is national; but if you live out west – especially in California like I do, then you may remember WAMU took over Great Western Savings and Loan Association – which was the bank that had the confidence inspiring tag line “We’ll always be there…”I would like to take credit for creating that tagline. It is so ironic that not only is Great Western long gone; so is the conglomerate that took them over. “So what good is a tagline?” you may ask.I raised my kids in Chatsworth, California which was the corporate headquarters for Great Western. Even today, the campus housing much of WAMU’s computer systems and loan processing offices is (as of now) located in what used to be that corporate plaza. Of course with the main WAMU being in Washington state and apparently some major subsidiary in Texas, the campus has dwindled down to about half of what it used to be but still takes up a square mile or two.In the Great Western Days when John Wayne and later Dennis Weaver were the company spokesmen, it was a huge client of mine. They bought T-shirts to hand out for community events they sponsored. Polo shirts were distributed to all the employees for wearing on casual Fridays. Decals for car windows and teller stations were regularly ordered and reorder. Pens and notepads by the truckload. Gifts'>http://www.innmkting.com/item_information.cfm?strip=0&ClearListOrder=true&CatalogGUID=18F2680E%2D6D0F%2D4D9F%2DBE23%2DA5777CD3112D&SupplierItemGUID=B7DB72EC-CD9B-4BAA-A30D-8894A90BEB1E&SuplItemNo=1200&SuplDisplayNo=Magellan&clear=1&AcctGUID=AB5AD5D4-D21B-4170-A1F2-67F558FC6655&ProdNo=1&ProdName=1&Description=1">Gifts to give customers to open new accounts were always fun to brainstorm about trying to come up with something new and clever – not just another toaster.The Snuggie, which has caught on recently because it’s comforting in these trying times, wasn’t quite available in those days. But we did do blankets and fleece and picnic "baskets" and thermos'>http://www.innmkting.com/item_information.cfm?strip=0&ClearListOrder=true&CatalogGUID=18F2680E%2D6D0F%2D4D9F%2DBE23%2DA5777CD3112D&SupplierItemGUID=FF004BB4-992D-48D4-910A-A20A23F5AFA8&SuplItemNo=SM%2D6710&SuplDisplayNo=&clear=1&AcctGUID=A0FB3837-C7AE-11D3-896A-00105A7027AA&ProdNo=1&ProdName=1&Description=1">thermos bottles and all the things that would encourage customers and employees to save energy, help reduce costs and work as a team for better results.You can imagine how much I miss Great Western. Up until today when I saw that Chase sign go up I was in denial about them being gone. It’s been nearly a decade since WAMU took the action to kill that tag line; but somehow I always believed it was coming back and I was going to regain all that business. Guess that is what is meant about being positive or optimistic! At any rate, working with marketing people and developing taglines and the products to promote the future of a business is what my work has been about. I love that brainstorming session. Stupid questions get asked and answered and exciting innovative ideas result.While it would be nice to work with another Great Western, the fact is most companies just don’t get that big. It is the smaller organizations that really need to develop their promotional marketing programs with much more rigid budgets. That makes our work even more challenging and rewarding.If you are looking for interesting ways to get your company talked about – in a good way – try working with a promotional marketing specialist like Innovative Marketing. It is the type of advertising that gets multiple exposures for low rates and long life. Like a calendar – for as little as a dollar, your tagline and/or ad message can be seen several times a day for 365 days a year. That’s a lot of exposure for a small price.We’re available by email just write to Info@InnMkting.com or visit our website www.InnMkting.Com today. Please leave your phone number and other contact information so we can plan a way to connect with you.