Happiness in Durango

Sick Day, part of our Holga campaign. A/D Steve Chandler

For the last 13 years, we’ve been lucky enough to be able to help Bank of the San Juans, a small bank in Durango, Colorado, set themselves apart from the rest of the banks in the Four Corners region. The bank’s president is a great guy who is always open to our sometimes crazy ideas. He does a good job reeling us back in when we get too far out of bounds, but for the most part, he trusts our instincts. And it’s paid off for them in a big way  as the bank has beat projections every year since opening.

We decided going in that the advertising for the bank would be … different. If another bank would do it, we don’t want it. The idea was to approach what had been a sleepy market and wake them up, make them laugh, and keep them guessing. In the process, the bank has built a fiercely loyal group of customers and continues to outpace its competitors in growth.

The bank is now, and has been pretty much from the beginning, an important part of the community – always giving back. As part of their community outreach mission, the bank sponsors a charity golf tournament every year benefiting a different organization each year. Funds are raised through sponsorships, entry fees and a silent auction. All of the bank’s employees get involved and it’s always a great event.

Along the way, our branding and positioning messages of the bank as the “happy, friendly, know your name, look you in the eye, firm handshake, sound banking advice” bank have taken hold. We continued reinforcing that track last May when we introduced the latest look and feel to the bank’s print advertising.

Here’s a quick look back at some of the ads we’ve done for them. The last few are from the latest campaign. Happiness is a good thing.

BSJ Dog Eat Dog, Holga campaign, A/D Steve Chandler

BSj Memorial & Veterans Day ad, Holga Campaign, A/D Steve Chandler

BSJ 4th Anniversary Ad, Holga campaign, A/D Steve Chandler

BSJ 12 Anniversary ad, A/D Steve Chandler, C/W Jeff Neely

BSJ 11th Annual Golf Tourney ad, A/D Steve Chandler

BSJ Halloween ad, A/D Steve Chandler

2011 Golf Tourney ad, A/D Steve Chandler

BSJ ad celebrating 40 years of the Iron Horse Bicycle Classic, A/D Steve Chandler

And finally, some “tiny ads” featuring the “Happy” theme we’ve been on since a little over a year ago. Because, they are One Big Happy Little Bank. All were done by MAD freak, Steve Chandler.