THE 14TH ANNUAL SHORTY AWARDS

The Shorty Awards honor the best of social media and digital. View this season's finalists!

Industry

See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Auto See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Beauty See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Business to Business See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Consumer Brand See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Education See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Entertainment See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Financial Services See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Fitness, Health, & Wellness
<br>See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Food & Beverage
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Strategy & Engagement

See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Brand Partnership See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Call to Action See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Community Management See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Creative Use of Technology See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> CTV/OTT See previous winners and honorees for Insights and Trends here.</a> <a href=https://shortyawards.com/17th/"https://shortyawards.com/category/16th/data-visualization">See previous winners and honorees for Data Visualization here.</a>"> Data & Insights See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Earned Media See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Event & Experiential See previous winners and honorees here.</a>""> Gamification See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Humor See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Innovative Media Buying Strategy See previous winners and honorees here.</a>""> Integration with Traditional Media See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Internal Communications See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> LGBTQ Community Engagement See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Micro-Influencer Strategy See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Multicultural Community Engagement See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Music & Dance See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> On a Shoestring See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Organic Promotion See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Paid & Amplification See previous winner and honorees here.</a>"> Physical and Digital Convergence See previous winner and honorees here.</a>"> Public Service Announcement See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Real Time Response See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> SEO & SEM See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Social Commerce See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Storytelling

Banking That Cares About What You Care About

Entered in Brand Voice

Objective

The big idea behind crafting a brand persona for Bethpage was simple: make banking education not just informative, but downright fun. We set out to help the nation’s 15th largest credit union share its products and services while boosting brand recall. What started as a humble little web series quickly grew into a set of dynamic commercials led by a lovable, charming spokesperson. This evolution gave Bethpage the perfect platform to showcase its diverse offerings through humorous narratives and quirky characters, bringing its “banking can be fun” philosophy to life on screen—and sparking plenty of buzz in Long Island and beyond!

Our goals were clear (and bold): first, we needed to raise brand awareness and help members feel like they’re part of a community—because at Bethpage, you’re more than just a customer. Second, build an all-encompassing brand ecosystem, one that educates potential members while solidifying Bethpage’s place as the go-to credit union, not just in the tri-state area but nationwide.

By leaning into Bethpage’s unwavering dedication to its members, we created a brand persona that makes every interaction feel warm, relatable, and, most importantly, fun. Banking doesn’t have to be boring, and this campaign proves it—with a whole lot of heart.

Strategy

Bringing this project to life was all about blending fun with function. It started with scripts that married humor and financial education in a way that made learning about banking feel less like a lecture and more like recess. To channel the brand’s warm, approachable vibe, we cast a squad of friendly faces, led by a recurring spokesperson who infused the spots with memorable charm. Each commercial was packed with personality, delivering real financial value with a wink.

To tie it all together and create lasting uniformity, we produced a catchy jingle that encapsulates the brand’s personality. As Bethpage’s product offerings expand, our fanciful “Bethpage world” grows right along with it, keeping banking fresh every step of the way.

Our biggest challenge? Resources. With big dreams, we had to get scrappy. Enter: strategic scripting, top-notch casting, custom music, greenscreens, and a little VFX magic. The result? Four broadcast-level commercials that set the stage for a whole Bethpage brand ecosystem—smart and endlessly expandable.

What sets this work apart is its quirky, imaginative approach to financial advertising. We ditched the usual boring bank vibes and leaned into something more unexpected. Banking isn’t exactly known for being exciting, but this campaign? It’s the kind of thing that makes people smile while they learn—and that’s what makes it special.

Results

FI5TH was able to exceed expectations and meet our team’s objectives by staying nimble and optimizing every step of the way, using real member feedback and data to fine-tune our strategy. From broadcast to digital, OTT, in-branch, and more, commercials created by FI5TH have helped Bethpage engage millions of potential and current members in the tri-state area and beyond. Ultimately increasing brand awareness and nationwide interest, the campaign led to an increase in member acquisition and retention.

From the inception, our relationship with Bethpage Federal Credit Union has provided the catalyst for many successful first-time endeavors by the brand—from the first time utilizing non-employees in advertising materials to the development of a custom recurring jingle, icon treatment, and loving spokesperson—FI5TH’s ongoing partnership with Bethpage provides continued insight into what’s working for the brand, utilizing employee, member, and shareholder feedback to inform a scrappy and seamless blend of creativity and strategy.

But don’t just take our word for it...

“I take great pride in this video series that Bethpage and FI5TH produced together. It has played a big role in pushing our brand forward.” - Matt Candela, Bethpage Federal Credit Union

Media

Entrant Company / Organization Name

FI5TH, Bethpage Federal Credit Union

Links

Entry Credits