The Communications Family Credit Union in Michigan felt they needed a name change after three decades because they wanted to appeal to a younger demographic and because some people were confused about who was eligible to become a customer. So they hired the Weber Marketing Group in Seattle to suggest prospective names. The company provided a list of 40 possibilities from which the credit union selected “Wildfire Credit Union”.

I went to their web site, halfway expecting to see a logo, photo, or at least colors derived from a wildfire, but no… just photos of a suburban setting and autumn colors on hardwood trees.   Very boring, to tell you the truth.

I wonder if the average banking customer, when seeing “Wildfire” in the name, thinks of flames, destruction, blackened landscapes, burned structures, and smoke columns, or do they picture a reputable banking institution?

So, would you be more or less likely to become a customer of a credit union called “Wildfire”?