If you've read Netbanker for awhile, you already know that I'm a little obsessed about the lack of imagination most financial institutions display when it comes to dressing up their websites for major holidays.

It's not that big a deal, but still, unless you are purposefully trying to project an image from the late 1990s (maybe not such a bad idea for many banks, given the current backlash), you might consider investing in a few graphical tweaks to keep up with other Internet retailers (see our Dec. 24 post).

Today, while looking for mobile banking examples, I happened across Amplify Credit Union, one of my favorite examples of financial marketing. They didn't have mobile on the homepage, but they were sure decked out for Valentine's Day, which is just 48 hours away.  

The CU not only swapped out their normal background graphic on its homepage, but also sweetened its logo with a heart, ala Google, and changed its tagline:

From: Bank Less. Live more.

To:    Bank less. Love more.

These are three alterations I've not seen from a financial institution. In addition, the Valentine's theme was carried out with:

• Red shading to the sides of the page, providing a very professional finish
• A "share the love" promotion for the CU's $25 refer-a-friend promo

Overall, it's very clever and supports the credit union's innovative brand image.

Amplify CU altered its homepage and logo for Valentine's Day (12 Feb. 2010)
Note: Pause button in upper-right keeps the promotion from automatically cycling to the next one.

Share the Love landing page (link)