United States of Awesome Possibilities

I don't make this stuff up. Marketing America: The ‘United States of Awesome Possibilities’

Looks like we're re-branding America for tourism purposes. And while we here love that idea, is this the right way to go about it? Wouldn't people want to visit a strong and vibrant country where change is possible and America really is the land of infinite possibilities?

The site also links to several partners in the effort, among them: federal agencies related to tourism, such as the National Park Service and the Federal Highway Administration National Scenic Byways Program, transportation companies like rental cars and buses, and travel agencies and tour operators. Another major part of its push so far appears to be social media, with the CTP creating fan pages on Facebook for different cities.

We're even more for supporting the National Park Service-if we don't protect our country who will? But...but...there's just something off about this. Unless we're entirely too skeptical and there's not enough information on this site? You decide:

"What is so compelling about the United States is that no one thing can explain who we are as a nation. Each visitor and each experience helps create the fabric of American culture, and Brand USA embodies this spirit."

It's a success they say

At least according to FireDogLake.com (Their About Us page is rather vague) Bank Transfer Day a Resounding Success for Move Your Money Movement. He give a few stats and offers his own editorial on how he moved from Bank of America to a credit union.

There are some interesting Tweets at along the side about Bank of America charging $10 to close accounts, but that feels slightly rumorish to us here. Now it could be true, with the increase of fees, who knows what's being charged when and to whom. But the overall message is still a positive one:

By changing your bank, you save money and the money your local bank/local credit union generates stays within the community.

I don’t know that this will hurt banks. As Zach Carter and Ryan Grim point out, accounts with low balances actually cost the big banks money to manage them, so moving those accounts out saves them a bit of money. I’m not sure I totally buy that, as banks still need working capital and they lose out on a suite of fees, many of which are targeted at customers with low balances. But it’s possible.

Change your bank day

Today is the (moderately) publicized Change Your Bank Day pushed by Facebook, Twitter, and other social media outlets. Why? Big banks and their ever increasing fees. Sure, the little guy (we, the consumer) no longer have to potentially shell out $3-5/month for the use of a debit card to take out money that we earned from our own bank accounts, but that isn't the point of this movement.

OccupyMainSt has read a lot of articles about this and only one really stood out as an interview to share. Strangely enough, it comes from Bankrate.com's Banking Blog. Nope, we don't understand it either, but upon further review, Bankrate.com is a comparison site. Makes a little more sense now.

In the Angry Bank Clients to Switch Nov. 5 post, you can read an interview wtih Kristin Christian who started the movement:

There's a bank protest afoot that doesn't involve camping, picketing or being gawked at by the national media. It's called "Bank Transfer Day," and it's a social-media driven movement started by art gallery owner Kristin Christian. It aims to convince bank customers angered by new fees to move their money en masse to small banks or credit unions on Nov. 5.

The movement has largely been orchestrated through Facebook, where the page has nearly 24,000 likes and numerous comments left by supporters and critics alike. Christian herself has been careful to keep the movement nonpartisan and distance it from the Occupy Wall Street protests happening in metro areas all over the country.

Read the comments that follow. They're more interesting than the normal comments on a new article.

Do you plan to switch?

To be fair, not all big banks are the Big Bad Wolf. But we can't find anyone who belongs to one of those. Then again, with the rate of takeovers and mergers, will there be any local banks/credit unions left?