How have your family and friends reacted? They have commented on how good the commercial is and what a good job I did.
What’s the funniest thing that has happened to you as a result of your new fame? I was in a store one day, and this lady I didn’t know said to me, “Aren’t you that lady that’s in the commercial for the credit union?”
What did you think about filming the commercial? I couldn’t believe how LONG it took for a 30 second spot on TV, plus the amount of makeup a person needs!
What do you do when your commercial comes on TV? Watch and say “I don’t remember saying that.”
Do you have a favorite Linn Area product or service? I really like being able to pay the bills for school online and knowing they will be done on time, and it only take about 10 minutes, and I’m finished. No stamps, envelopes or anything.
What are three words you’d use to describe Linn Area Credit Union? Very very helpful.
What is it like being a TV star? It’s funny the places I will meet people and they will recognize me from the commercial. It’s neat that our commercial has been shown all over Eastern Iowa and Illinois. We were back home for Christmas and my aunt who lives in East Dubuque was talking about seeing the commercial. My mother-in-law talks about how she sees it in Cedar Falls as well. We had a CD made so Jay’s grandma could see it. She had been hearing all about it she told his mom she wanted to see it!
What do your kids say when they see themselves on TV? They think it is exciting to see each other on TV. The first time we watched it, our son Parker had us rewind it over and over again so he could see it! I bet we watched it at least 5 or 6 times that first night.
How have your family and friends reacted? They have all been excited for us. Some of my friends at work will tell me when they woke up to my voice in the morning. The first night the commercial was on, our cell phones were buzzing and our Facebook pages had people sharing they saw us on TV!
Has anyone given you a nickname? I can’t think of any nicknames other than people joking that they are among celebrities when we are with them.
What did you think about filming the commercial? It was a very cool, sunny May morning. You know Iowa weather, you never know what to expect! I was a little worried how the kids would do with the shoot. They had so much fun watching the ducks, playing with the soccer ball, and going over to use the equipment on the playground. Daniel, who was shooting the commercial, was so easy to talk with! He was reassuring and would ask questions in different ways for me to answer. When you are the person answering the questions, you don’t know how you sound! I thought after seeing the commercial that he made me sound good!
What do you do when your commercial comes on TV? Quite often, as mentioned above, we will rewind it and watch it a second or third time. The kids really get a kick out of that!
What’s your favorite part about being part of the Linn Area family? Everyone is so helpful and kind! We have had nothing but wonderful customer care since joining Linn Area. Linn Area is so sweet to send out Kirby Kangaroo birthday cards and different mailings for events occurring throughout the year. They not only make Jay and me feel involved, but Parker and Marin as well! For us, that is pure gold!
Do you have a favorite Linn Area product or service? I must say my favorite feature is the online banking. It is so easy to track our spending and check to see if checks cleared, checking both our balances and our kiddos’ balances. We have a loan through Linn Area as well, so I am able to quickly move money to pay the loan or move money to my kids’ accounts whenever it is convenient for me.
What are three words you’d use to describe Linn Area Credit Union? Friendly, First-Class Service, Dependable
Anything else you’d like to add? We feel so honored that you chose our family as one of the four commercials to air on behalf of Linn Area Credit Union. It was our 30 seconds of fame and will be a memory we cherish forever!
How have your family and friends reacted? They seem very proud
Has anyone given you a nickname? A few people call me “Hollywood”
What’s the funniest/craziest thing that has happened to you as a result of your new fame? I got stopped at Airport security because of the metal business card that commercial production crew gave me. It took TSA about 15-20 minutes to clear me after they found it going through the X-ray machine.
What did you think about filming the commercial? It was a blast. We kept laughing the whole time.
What do you do when your commercial comes on TV? I look away.
What’s your favorite part about being part of the Linn Area family? Everyone seems to know me now!
Do you have a favorite Linn Area product or service? E billpayer
What are three words you’d use to describe Linn Area Credit Union? Fast, Friendly & Efficient
Anything else you’d like to add? Just that I’m waiting for my chance at a sequel.
They’ve made you laugh. They’ve made you cry. They’ve made you want to run through a field of wildflowers.
Okay, maybe not. But if you’ve seen our commercials featuring REAL Linn Area members, you probably at least smiled and thought, “Heck yeah, I’m glad to be part of the Linn Area family!”
These commercials have been running for almost a year now, so we thought it would be fun to go back to our four TV stars (Slayton, Marge, Candy and Barry) to see what life has been like since the spots began to air. Each Friday for the next few weeks, we’ll highlight one of the stars!
Now… we don’t normally like to toot our own horn, but this time I just can’t help it!!! I thought that you guys would like to know that our four TV spots received several marketing awards at the 2011 Credit Union National Association Marketing and Business Development Conference. Although more than 1,000 entries were submitted, our ads won Best TV Ad (single – Slayton), Best TV Ad (series) and, the granddaddy of them ALL, Competition’s Best!!! Not only do we have the BEST members around, we have the best TV commercials, too! I dig that. :o)
And, P.S., if you think you have a GREAT Linn Area story to tell, go up the top right hand corner of this page and click on “Tell Your Story!” Who knows, you could be featured in a blog, on our home page or maybe even one of our next TV spots!
What is it like being a TV star? I’m not. 
What did you think about filming the commercial? I couldn’t believe how LONG it took for a 30 second spot on TV, plus the amount of makeup a person needs! 
