When Natalia Custodio went into marketing and graphic design at University of California, Davis, in 2013, she hadn’t given any thought to working for a credit union. As she began looking for internships, Custodio says she looked at UNCLE Credit Union in Livermore, Calif., simply because it was “down the road” from where she lived.
She became a Human Resources intern for UNCLE in the summer of 2016 with no knowledge of the credit union industry and, well, she hasn’t looked back. She started full-time in the company’s marketing department in October 2017 (and is now well-versed in the industry, though she says she is still learning).
“It ended up being one of the best decisions I’ve made,” says Custodio, now UNCLE’s marketing project manager. “I fell in love with the small atmosphere of a credit union, and I’m able to use my (graphic design) major here along with getting more experience in the field of marketing.”
“Small,” she says. UNCLE serves roughly 27,000 members and has more than $450 million in assets. We joke with her about her idea of size.
“It’s small for this area!” She responds with a laugh.
But it’s true. Custodio’s office sits in the Tri-Valley just outside the tech-savvy Silicon Valley. While she enjoys the community-centered aspect of a credit union, she’s still aware of the space they need to take up to thrive in the “very competitive, very moving market.”
How does UNCLE do that? With modern, eye-catching marketing that is cost-effective – which she says it has found in image.works.
“We’ve found a company that really understands the small credit union size but also is looking into the future with modern marketing and advertising,” Custodio says.
A case-in-point that quickly comes to Custodio’s mind is the second piece we created for UNCLE – an Extendo direct mailer promoting UNCLE’s home equity line of credit.
“A lot of people here just thought that was the coolest thing,” she says. “We have never done a mailer that functioned or has an experience to it, and people really loved it.”
It’s just one of the many ways she’s been impressed with image.works. She also enjoys the quality of the copywriters, designers and proofers, who catch things even her well-trained team misses.
“Sometimes I’ll submit things that have had final approval by five people here, and then you’ll still catch two typos or a missing NCUA logo,” Custodio says. “I haven’t found another company that does that, or even knows that much compliance.”
She’s excited to continue UNCLE Credit Union’s relationship with image.works and looks forward to the innovative products we create together in the future.