BCU Shines In 2026 Diamond Awards Honoring Marketing Excellence

April 1, 2026

Chicago - Baxter Credit Union (BCU) BCU was among 181 credit unions nationwide honored with the prestigious Diamond Awards at the America's Credit Unions Marketing, PR & Development Council’s annual competition recognizing excellence in credit union marketing.

BCU received an award in the Social Media category for their social media video, “ POV: Gen Z Writes Your Script .” This creative post reimagined financial education by blending cultural fluency with humor. The video featured a seasoned BCU employee explaining the benefits of BCU while using trending Gen Z slang to make financial concepts both approachable and entertaining. 

The campaign demonstrated that embracing generational trends can spark engagement without sacrificing clarity. By pairing authenticity with playful language, BCU successfully bridged the gap between younger audiences and financial literacy. 

The post exceeded engagement benchmarks, sparking conversation and shares, and reinforced that social-first storytelling can make even complex topics feel relatable. “The key takeaway,” said Erin Macasek, BCU Vice President of Marketing, “was that, when we meet members where they are — both on their feeds and in their language — we create content that resonates and builds trust across generations.”

The America's Credit Unions Marketing, PR & Development Council announced the winners of this year’s Diamond Awards , which celebrate the most effective and innovative marketing campaigns across the credit union industry.

This year’s competition drew a record 1,481 submissions, with 181 organizations from 42 states elected as winners. In total, 330 awards were distributed, reflecting the exceptional quality of work produced by credit unions nationwide.

Macasek continued, “We are honored to be recognized among the best in the industry. This award is a testament to our team’s dedication to creating meaningful value for our members and sharing the credit union story in ways that truly resonate.”

“We are proud to recognize BCU and this year’s Diamond Award winners for their entries that deliver both creativity and results,” said Lorrell Bellotti, Diamond Awards Co-chair and Chief Marketing Officer at Western Vista FCU in Cheyenne, Wyoming.  “These entries demonstrate an understanding of the people we serve and strategic execution that delivers measurable impact.”

View BCU’s winning video.

About America’s Credit Unions
America’s Credit Unions is the unified voice for not-for-profit credit unions, representing more than 95% of the industry's assets and their more than 145 million members nationwide. America’s Credit Unions provides strong advocacy, resources and services to advance, empower, and protect credit unions and the people and communities they serve. For more information, 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 while advocating for the overall success of the credit union movement. There are eight Councils with a network of more than 7,000 credit union professionals. For more information, visit americascreditunions.org/councils.

About BCU: BCU is a not-for-profit, member-owned credit union that is fiercely dedicated to Empowering People To Discover Financial Freedom. With $6.4B in assets, BCU is committed to providing a fast, easy, and secure banking experience along with extraordinary service to 370,000 members.  The BCU field of membership includes employees of Fortune 100 companies and membership-driven organizations across the US and Puerto Rico, plus their extended families. Membership is also open to individuals who live or work in Northern Illinois, Southern Wisconsin, and Puerto Rico, as well as subscribers of BCU’s wholly owned Credit Union Service Organization (CUSO), Life. Money. You.®. All BCU members enjoy lifetime access to financial services and well-being programming that inspire confidence through the brand promise “Here Today For Your Tomorrow.”
To learn more about how we can help you realize your financial dreams, visit BCU.org.
For media inquires, visit BCU.org/About-Us/Media-Relations.

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