Vision Credit Union has branches in 17 rural communities across Alberta and draws members from the surrounding rural areas. Agriculture is and always has been Vision’s bread and butter, so growth in this segment is a critical part of Vision’s strength as a credit union. In recent years, commercial banks have applied increasing focus to the agriculture industry, targeting this sector with big budgets and extensive marketing campaigns. Adding to that situation is the proliferation of online banks focused on the agriculture sector, all of which has resulted in increased competition for market share among Vision’s core demographic. As a credit union, Vision can’t go head-to-head with other FIs on marketing spend, executing expensive multi-market, long-term campaigns to grow awareness and engagement among target markets. So how does Vision Credit Union grow its membership and market share with limited resources in a competitive environment? We conceived of a targeted direct mail piece designed to speak specifically to a small number of agribusiness prospects. It would come personally addressed from Vision’s CEO, Steve Friend, who is also a rancher. Using interesting design, strategic messaging, custom photography and conversational language, we powerfully conveyed Vision’s advantage: that Vision understands the challenges and financial needs of food producers in Alberta because, from our CEO on down, we’re farmers too.