In my experience, a spokesperson is something that looks good on paper. The truth is, when I see a kid my age who’s supposedly going to bridge the gap between some business and me, all I see is a girl or guy who was smart enough to make some money off of that company’s desire to reach our demographic. Not to say that the idea is invalid, but it’s not like I buy into the idea that this random person will understand me just because they’re my peer.

Now some campaigns are better than others and are up front about paying their new young face. This is a good thing. If the hired help tries to pretend they’re not at least partly there for the money, the credit union comes across as believing young people are stupid, and we’re not. By being up front about the situation, they gain more of my trust instead of cynicism.

But in the end what are they really accomplishing? I only see a person paid to “relate” to me, whether they’re being honest about it or not. I see a spokesperson that was hired to attract young people, and I assume they’re just a face and not a true representative of the credit union. So I’d rather just talk to the credit union directly.

Honestly, I think  credit unions would be better off trying to sell “we remember what it was like to be your age” instead of “here’s someone who is your age.” If I’m going to try to build a relationship with a representative, I’d prefer someone genuine.

If there’s anything you’d like to ask Sam, or if you have ideas for blog topics you’d like to see Sam take on, just post a comment or email sam@idizinc.com .