We needed to give Affinity employees the know-how to articulate the credit union difference. The goal was to find an engaging way to showcase Affinity’s history and the co-operative values that set them apart—illustrating why credit unions formed in SK and remain a better option today.
Client:
Affinity Credit Union
Production company:
Chess Club Agency
Deliverables:
Social media
YouTube
Web
Internal video
After a crash course on credit unions from the Affinity crew, we realized this was not just their story to tell—it belongs to the people who fought for a fairer system, to those who followed in their footsteps, and to everyone who continues to better our community today. So, instead of telling Affinity’s history in our words, we shared the words of someone who was actually there: lifelong co-operative champion Harold Chapman.
We kicked things off by meeting with, becoming enamoured by, and interviewing Harold. No spoilers if you haven’t seen the video, but he had a lot of stories to tell about his experience growing up in Saskatchewan during the Depression. After gathering the deets, we created a narrative and asked Harold to record a voice-over.
This served as the central element of the video. Using a combination of actors and current-day Harold, we brought his experiences to life and told the story of why credit unions formed in Saskatchewan—and the importance of keeping this history alive today.
The video was directed by our in-house videographer, Carl Sheldon, and honestly, it’s stunning. To drive home the emotional component and local flavour, we commissioned custom music composed by members of the Saskatoon-born-and-bred band Close Talker.
Along with holding a premiere event at Affinity and a special screening for Harold’s independent living community, the video was presented at Affinity advice centres throughout the province and used on YouTube, social media, and the Affinity website.
This was a special project for everyone involved—from getting to meet Harold to replicating the historical details to the important message. What started as an educational piece for staff became something so much more, and while the results can’t be measured in data points like an external campaign with big, bad media dollars behind it, they were pretty incredible.
Affinity received an overwhelming response. Some were moved to tears, others saw themselves in Harold, and everyone really did learn a thing or two about the credit union movement. More tangible results came in 2020 when Affinity submitted the video to the AIME awards, and it took home first place in the TV/Video category.
Affinity has also expressed that, because of the video’s timeless quality, they now have a tool they can utilize to celebrate the credit union movement for years to come. The video format will allow us to continue Shared Stories as a series in the future if desired and inspired Affinity to hold a Shared Stories contest where others could celebrate how credit unions have impacted their life.
