Credit Union Campaign Banks on Relatable Relationships

How two quirky characters bring banking to life in the Workers Credit Union “Claire and Karen” campaign

Wednesday, January 29, 2020 – After grabbing the attention of consumers across the Boston area with last year’s hair-raising Big Wig campaign, Workers Credit Union was looking for a way to deepen their connections with millennial women. The Boston-based credit union had recently expanded into new neighborhoods in north and central Boston and wanted to create a female-focused campaign that relied on women’s wit and wisdom to reach their target audience. 

The result is the Claire and Karen campaign with its two quirky women at the fore. Claire is the responsible one and Karen is the flighty one. Together these two gal pals discuss personal finance fundamentals and show how banking becomes part of your everyday life, even if you’re unaware of it like Karen is… The campaign uses an elevated style of humor as the vehicle for knowledge-sharing and gives us two female friends who could be our neighbors and coworkers. 

Will Agrella, Co-Creative Director at Adrenaline, says, “Using socially relevant themes like FOMO and presenting millennial relationships like the ones you might see in something like Broad City or Garfunkel and Oates, we were inspired to capture a particular type of humor that millennial women would recognize and appreciate. Not a big, bold humor like soaring, powdered wigs that grab your attention, but a more understated and clever humor that is conveyed with a wink and a nod.” 

“This more elevated approach aligned with recent financial research about #FOMO or fear of missing out and how large majorities of millennials, especially women, name that social pressure as a major motivator for their financial decisions,” according to Nick Gebhardt, Co-Creative Director at Adrenaline. He continues, “We wanted to show that we understand a millennial mindset and how we’re the generation that invests in experiences instead of things.”

The multi-pronged media strategy paid off big with more than 18 million impressions across numerous platforms and big hits with the Patriots on the NFL’s Monday Night Football, consistently the #1 show in the market. The campaign’s holistic strategy included digital delivery that got a whopping 88.824% completion rate, with engaged viewers compelled to stay through the end. The cable rate was even higher with 97.28%. The campaign rounded out its efforts with supporting elements in outdoor, rail and print ads.

To schedule an interview with the creative minds behind the Claire and Karen campaign, contact [email protected] or [email protected]


Adrenaline is an experience design agency that creates and implements end-to-end branded experiences through creative and environmental design. We enhance our clients’ customer experiences across digital and physical channels, from their branding and advertising to design and technology in their spaces. After transforming an organization’s brand, Adrenaline extends it across all touchpoints — from employees to the market to in-store environments. And, we focus on serving industries that sell human experiences including financial, healthcare, sports and entertainment.

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