Associated embraces Midwest identity with influencer campaign

Midwestern Dad knows he can bank online, but he’d rather come into the branch: Can’t show a computer my trail cam pics. Look at this sucker, still got the velvet on … What’s a guy gotta do to get a sucker around here?.That’s Wisconsin-native, stand-up comedian and internet influencer Charlie Berens, unfurling one of his homespun bits for Green Bay, Wis.-based Associated Bank in a 2024 campaign that’s still circulating social media channels. The campaign fits into the bank’s desire to expand its reach to the under-40 market, said Marilka Velez, SVP/senior director of marketing. “We kicked off this social media strategy to include micro and macro influencers, and we think of Charlie as that macro influencer,” Velez said. Berens has 2.63 million followers on YouTube, 2.8 million followers on Facebook, and 1.2 million Instagram followers.Associated’s marketing team had earned “strong results with our social media,” Velez said, but saw room for improvement. Working with Minneapolis agency Colle McVoy, the Associated team first determined what pillar of its brand it wanted to focus on. “One of them that came through loud and clear, that is authentic to our brand, is being Midwest based,” Velez said. “Tapping into those unique and funny experiences and truisms of Midwest culture.”Geez Louise, if dat ain’t Charlie Berens, den you don know yurz casseroles, do ya?“Charlie has a natural connection and that felt authentic to what we were trying to accomplish, and the way we wanted to tell our story,” Velez said. It was not a strategy without risk, given that some of Berens’ comedic bits poke fun at Minnesota and Illinois, key markets for Associated. “When you’re working with any influencer, you need to understand the good, the bad, the funny, the not-so-funny of the content they have out there,” Velez advised.The videos aren’t exclusively brand awareness campaigns. They also tie to what Velez calls the bank’s “value propositions.” The team worked with the Berens team to craft scripts for four videos that hit the points it needed to hit, while allowing Berens free reign to improvise in his unique stream-of-Midwest-consciousness persona. The bank maintained the ability to conduct a final review and edit or reshoot as necessary. Bank marketing stirred with comedic instinct — a horse apiece Berens might call it.“In research, we have found the value props are really driving consideration [for] switching, which is why we were doing this,” Velez said. The goal was to connect … when people were choosing or switching banks. “It’s exceeded our expectations in how he has really been able to tap into Midwest culture and those truisms — and make you laugh.”The bank’s influencer campaigns, all combined, have generated more than 100 million impressions. “And now it’s about measuring,” Velez said. “The brand impressions are great, but ultimately is that leading to new customers?”Measurement is also about listening to customers and gauging their feedback, which has been overwhelmingly positive.The bank’s agency offered critical guidance throughout the campaign’s development, Velez said, especially in contract negotiations. It had to flesh out expectations for the type of content, its length and duration, when it would be reviewed, how many reviews the bank would get, and the licensing, including how long videos would be posted in the bank’s channels and in Berens’ channels.Also a consideration: Opportunities to renew. “Sometimes, content can have legs beyond what you’ve negotiated,” Velez explained. If content is engaging and continues to deliver impressions, the bank wants more time.Velez declined to say what the bank paid Berens to create its videos; he requested his compensation remain undisclosed, she said. In March, however, the city council of Superior, Wis., approved a $120,000 contract with Berens to create four videos to promote its city to tourists. Jeepers.