Credit Union's Innovative Social Media Program for Generation Y Wins First Place In Talking Category

October 30, 2008

Common Wealth Credit Union, Alberta's fourth largest credit union, has won one of the most prestigious social media awards in North America, a Forrester Research Groundswell Award, for its innovative social media program, Young & Free.

The first place award in the Talking category recognizes Young & Free for its success at engaging young people online through a microsite populated with blogs, vlogs and polls that cover everything from finance to pop culture.

"We are thrilled to have Young & Free recognized by the leading experts in social technologies," said Kim Crockett, Young & Free Manager, Common Wealth Credit Union. "It is truly an honour to see Young & Free grow from an idea to connect with young people, to a recognized program that resonates beyond borders and inspires other companies to successfully utilize social media programs."

As the first free financial management service package built for and by young people, Young & Free engages young people with a microsite, youngfreealberta.com, and through videos on YouTube, photos on Flickr and groups on Facebook. The company hired a vibrant, quirky "spokester", 19-year-old Larissa Walkiw, to drive Young & Free content and be the voice for her peers.

The Forrester Groundswell Awards are an outgrowth of the book Groundswell: Winning In A World Transformed By Social Technologies (Harvard Business Press, 2008), a ground-breaking best-selling book from Forrester Research that provides strategies for companies that want to harness the power of social technologies like blogs, social networks, and YouTube. Of the 34 big-name company entrants in the Talking category, Common Wealth Credit Union's Young & Free secured first place.

Earlier in 2008, Young & Free won a number of industry awards, including, three first-place Golden Mirror Awards by the Credit Union Executive Society (CUES); the Best of Show and three Gold Awards by the Marketing Association of Credit Unions (MAC) and five awards from the Canadian Marketing Association of Credit Unions Achievement in Marketing Excellence (AIME) Awards, including the People's Choice Award.

For more information about the Forrester Groundswell Awards visit: www.forrester.com/Groundswell/awards.html.