April 13, 2026
April 13, 2026
3-year Title Sponsor at Ferndale, Sehome, & Lynden High Schools (Washington)
In a world where attention is fragmented and digital channels are increasingly saturated, Industrial Credit Union found a way to stand out by leaning into what matters most: real community connection. Through scoreboard sponsorships, they didn’t just increase visibility, they built meaningful relationships that translated into measurable growth and lasting brand recognition.
"In name and brand recognition alone, this has been more fruitful than a lot of our other paid advertising channels."
- Lauren Johnson, Director of Marketing Industrial Credit Union
Industrial Credit Union’s top marketing priority was to deepen its presence among youth and the broader community in Whatcom County, Washington—a geographically spread-out region where, as they describe it, “everybody knows everybody.”
Lauren Johnson, Director of Marketing at Industrial Credit Union, was first connected to Scoreboard Media through sponsorship coordinator Jules Bergman. Scoreboard Media already had a strong network in the area, partnering with three local high schools: Ferndale, Sehome, and Lynden High School. The timing, the alignment, and the opportunity clicked immediately.
"I knew the scoreboard was going up at Ferndale. We saw this amazing scoreboard — college-level graphics and quality. But I had no idea there was a company helping the school pay for it through local sponsorships. When Jules explained it, I thought that was really, really neat."
— Lauren Johnson, Director of Marketing, Industrial Credit Union
Before partnering with Scoreboard Media, Industrial CU invested across a wide range of channels including bus billboards, traditional billboards, Google PPC, paid social, and event sponsorships.
But Lauren recognized a fundamental gap across all of them.
"So much of marketing lacks the opportunity to make a real connection. You've got half a second to grab someone's attention and then sell yourself to them then they’re onto the next thing. "
— Lauren Johnson, Director of Marketing, Industrial Credit Union
The challenge wasn't reach; it was depth. Digital channels are becoming increasingly crowded. AI-generated search results impact click-through rates. Social feeds more saturated. While Industrial CU could generate impressions, authentic human interaction remained difficult to scale. People are craving real, in-person experiences again.
How do you move from impressions to relationships in a world increasingly dominated by digital noise?
Scoreboard Media offers something no other advertising channel can: a trusted, in-person presence where the community already gathers.
Beyond digital ads, sponsors also have opportunities to activate on-site, bringing their brand to life through in-person engagement and turning visibility into real relationships.
The result is a fully integrated community presence that drives value for schools, businesses, and the people they serve.
Industrial Credit Union became a Title Sponsor at all 3 of Scoreboard Media’s partner schools in Whatcom County, Washington. Each sponsored scoreboard runs Industrial CU's branded ads throughout every home game, reaching not just the fans of that school, but the visiting teams, their families, and fans who travel from across the county. Because all Whatcom County schools compete against each other, sponsoring three schools created a blanket presence across the region.
In addition, Industrial CU’s Title Sponsor package included 9 on-site activation events, adding a critical layer of face-to-face engagement.
Within a condensed 3-week stretch, Industrial CU activated at every available game. The team showed up to games with photo booths, prize wheels, branded giveaways, gift card raffles, and loan officers ready to have real conversations.
"We signed up, we got on the agenda, we showed up and it was just easy to be there, easy to be involved. It was almost like plug and play."
— Lauren Johnson, Director of Marketing, Industrial Credit Union
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Industrial Credit Union is still in the early stages of measuring long-term ROI, but the early indicators are striking, and the anecdotal evidence speaks volumes.
The most immediately tangible result of the activation program was the direct, in-person business it generated.
By sponsoring 3 of Whatcom County’s 9 high schools, Industrial CU reached every school community within a single season. They created a layered, high-frequency brand experience across the region through a combination of:
Perhaps the most meaningful results are the ones that are hardest to quantify — the lasting emotional impressions that turned Industrial CU from a financial institution into a part of the community:
Months after the activation season ended, Lauren still regularly runs into community members who say, "Oh my gosh, that was so cool — when are you doing the next one?"
One young prize winner was so excited his father brought him to a branch after school just to say thank you to the credit union in person.
These moments transformed Industrial CU from a financial institution into a recognizable, trusted community presence.
When Lauren evaluated the partnership against Industrial CU’s broader marketing mix, the value-per-impression calculation stood out sharply.
"If I were to get the number of impressions from this on social channels, it would cost me a lot more than this has cost," Lauren noted directly.
Internally, the partnership is now viewed not just as sponsorship but as a high-performing marketing channel. As a result, Industrial CU has shifted budget from traditional digital channels toward the scoreboard sponsorship with Scoreboard Media.
"What I think a lot of paid advertising would hope to accomplish inside of a year, we accomplished inside of a month and a half. Because we were just able to have so much presence in the community. In name and brand recognition alone, it has been more fruitful than a lot of our other paid advertising channels."
— Lauren Johnson, Director of Marketing, Industrial Credit Union
What stood out about the partnership
From the first conversation, Lauren describes the experience as seamless. Jules was responsive, gave honest creative feedback on ad collateral, connected Industrial with the right school contacts, and made coordination across three schools manageable.
Lauren shared, "Jules is a really excellent communicator. The contract negotiation was a very easy process. He gave really good feedback as we were creating our collateral — this works, this doesn't work. It's really been a very easy process."
Industrial Credit Union is already planning for next season, getting ready to show up earlier in the school year, expand activation efforts, and continue to build relationships with students, families, and school staff.
They're developing a commercial featuring youth athletes from their community that will run on the scoreboards next school year; adding a new layer of community involvement by not just supporting local athletics, but actively spotlighting and celebrating the students themselves.
With three schools covered, a full activation calendar ahead next fall, and Scoreboard Media's growing Whatcom County school network behind them, Industrial CU is positioned to turn what started as a single sponsorship into a scalable, long-term community marketing strategy.
"This is your best opportunity to make a memory and make an impact. You're making a difference for the kids in your community, for those families. They're not going to forget that their credit union showed up and supported them.”
— Lauren Johnson, Director of Marketing, Industrial Credit Union
