Film Critics Group Branches Out With Banking Campaign

The African American Film Critics Association may be better known for honoring films than creating them, but that didn’t stop the group from producing a new branded video series.

On Friday, OneUnited Bank  (opens in a new tab), the largest black-owned bank in the country, announced that it was teaming with both AAFCA and BMe Community as part of its #BuyBlack campaign. The campaign is being produced through the association’s new production arm, AAFCA Productions.

The video series  (opens in a new tab)—which will include discussions on financial literacy issues such as saving money and improving credit scores—is the production group’s first project, notes AAFCA Cofounder and President Gil Robertson. (The first clip, discussing millennials and money, is above.)

“We are thrilled to launch AAFCA Production Services with a strong partner with similar values,” Robertson said in a news release  (opens in a new tab). “Our work with OneUnited Bank will provide a great example of the multi-tiered services we provide for companies looking to craft messages that merge celebrity with subjects and themes that impact the community.”

We’re going LIVE on Thursday … tune in!! #bankblackLIVE  (opens in a new tab) #BANKBLACK  (opens in a new tab) @oneunited  (opens in a new tab) pic.twitter.com/sShPoBse3m  (opens in a new tab)

— BMe Community (@BMeCommunity) January 11, 2017  (opens in a new tab)

The new effort is the second such partnership OneUnited has under its belt. The bank last year began collaborating with the social network BMe Community, whose founding was inspired by black men who are working to build up their communities. BMe, which has support from a number of philanthropic groups, is consulting with AAFCA on the series’ content.

OneUnited President and COO Teri Williams says the strategy is meant to differentiate the bank, which targets underserved communities, especially young adults.

“Our partnership with AAFCA and BMe Community allows us to think outside of the traditional banking box to educate consumers, especially black millennials, on the importance of being financially literate and using their collective spending power purposefully,” she added in her news release.