LAS VEGAS (March 27, 2024) – Smart Financial Credit Union was among 168 credit unions nationwide named as winners of prestigious Diamond Awards – the Marketing & Business Development Council’s annual marketing excellence competition.

Smart Financial received three prestigious Diamond Awards for:

Best in Class (asset size), Complete Campaign which included all creative elements and results of the Smart Financial Smart Squad campaign which ran over the summer of 2023. The artwork depicting the vintage comic book theme was hand drawn by Smart Financial’s Visual Designer, Dave Cebrero and conceptualized by Vice-President of Marketing, Andrew Huang.

Best in Class, Direct Mail created for the Smart Squad campaign.

Best in Show, Radio Spot created for the Smart Squad campaign. Written and conceptualized by Vice-President of Marketing, Andrew Huang and recorded and edited by My Creative, Inc. (Phoenix, Arizona).

The Marketing & Business Development Council of America’s Credit Unions also announced the list of all winners for its annual Diamond Awards, recognizing the best marketing campaigns in the credit union industry from the past year. Credit unions, advertising agencies, and associations submitted a record 1,451 submissions for the prestigious awards. In all, 168 organizations from 44 states and the District of Columbia were selected as winners.

“Working alongside such a talented group of marketing professionals is truly an honor. This recognition from America’s Credit Unions prestigious Diamond Awards is just one example of the outstanding work and creativity I see daily. I want to congratulate the marketing team for this recognition of their work on the Smart Squad campaign,” said Chief Marketing Officer Corbin Wilson.

"We are absolutely delighted to honor Smart Financial Credit Union and the other 167 winners with this level of recognition," said Lesli Bishop, Diamond Awards chair and Chief Marketing Officer at Family Savings Credit Union in Gadsden, Ala. "It's evident that these credit unions not only embody the spirit of the credit union movement but also propel it forward with their innovative approaches."

This year's Diamond Awards marked a milestone, celebrating 30 years of excellence in credit union marketing and setting a new record with over 350 awards distributed – underscoring the exceptional quality of marketing work being produced by credit unions nationwide.

ABOUT SMART FINANCIAL

Smart Financial is one of the oldest and most well-established credit unions in the Houston region since opening its doors in 1934. With 13 locations in Greater Houston, Smart Financial is a state-chartered credit union that is locally owned and operated by its members and focuses on people, not profits. Smart Financial provides a full range of financial services to over 65,000 members with a passion and purpose for helping people reach their lifelong dreams. In 2016, Smart Financial became the naming rights sponsor of Smart Financial Centre in Sugar Land, Texas, which has become one of the top mid-sized concert venues in the world. Smart Financial created a foundation in 2013 that has raised over $600,000 for scholarships to Houston area students as well as support for many local Houston charities. For more information, visit www.smartcu.org or engage with Smart Financial Credit Union on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

ABOUT AMERICA'S CREDIT UNIONS

America’s Credit Unions is the unified voice for not-for-profit credit unions and their more than 140 million members nationwide. America’s Credit Unions provides strong advocacy, resources and services to protect, empower and advance credit unions and the people and communities they serve. For more information about America’s Credit Union, visit americascreditunions.org.

ABOUT COUNCILS

Councils is a member-led, collaborative community of credit union leaders providing vibrant peer interaction, new ideas and innovation to foster professional development for executives while advocating for the overall success of the credit union movement. There are eight Councils with a network of more than 8,500 credit union professionals. For more information, visit cunacouncils.org.

Media Contacts:

Andrew Huang
Smart Financial Credit Union
o: 713.407.1833 | ahuang@smartcu.org

Corbin Wilson
Smart Financial Credit Union
o: 713.407.1913 | corbinw@smartcu.org