zendough - The religion of the credit score
TransUnion floats another credit report and credit score website filling up virtual shelf space
By Greg Fisher
While already operating TransUnion.com, TransUnionCS.com, and TrueCredit, TransUnion's latest gambit in the the crowded taking-up-virtual-shelf-space game is zendough (written in hip lower case), featuring the VantageScore credit score.
Somebody already did the religion motif, but zendough (see "zendo") takes the metaphor to a higher level (of consciousness): "There is a force that surrounds me day-to-day. It is with me when I wake, when I work, when I play."
Yoga, bonsai, rock stacking, sand raking— the references go on, and on, and on. Hokey smoke.
Worship, credit scores, and $$$His website says, "This life-changing program teaches your congregation to achieve their financial goals by eliminating debt, saving for the future, and giving like never before." He leads his lost flock exhorting, "We’re not going to worship at the altar of the FICO score." And, according to "financial expert Dave Ramsey": "My credit score is zero. Every single bit of your FICO score algorithm is built and calculated on you borrowing money." But, as any true misguided devote of creditscore-ism knows, a zero FICO is impossible because the scale is 300 to 850. So, beware of " |
Nobody beats Experian in the notion of multiple websites selling credit reports and scores, but with zendough, TransUnion, the Chicago-based competitor in the three-way oligopoly, is learning the same trick.
EQUIFAX |
EXPERIAN |
TRANSUNION |
| FICO (Equifax.com) | PLUS (Experian.com) | FICO (TransUnionCS.com) |
| PLUS (National Score Index) | VantageScore (TransUnion.com) | |
| PLUS (FreeCreditReport.com) | VantageScore (TrueCredit) | |
| PLUS (ConsumerInfo.com) | VantageScore (zendough) | |
| PLUS (iplace.com) | ||
| PLUS (CreditExpert.com) | ||
| VantageScore (vantagescore.experian.com) |
You wouldn't know it by the number of websites used to sell them, but PLUS is a score not used by lenders, and VantageScore has a 5.7% market share.
And then, there's the whole "Free" issue.
Ace advertising agency cramer-krasselt was involved in the credit cult creative.
[UPDATE, 9/20/15: The above video was removed. A video from the same campaign still exists elsewhere.]
In the last century, the first key to enlightenment was forcing the credit reporting industry to even acknowledge the existence of the once-secret major credit score. That lead to the big revelation: Disclosing credit scores to consumers. Then, in 2009, disclosure took a big step backward as one credit bureau's FICO score was hidden again.
Consumers were given a modicum of information regarding the formula. Broad information and details are meted out through the media. Some legends were dispelled, and some grew.
You just have to have faith.
Press releases:
"zendough.com: Bringing Calm to Financial Chaos in the New Year" - TransUnion
"zendough.com Launches, Hosts Massive Yoga Classes During Rush Hour" - TransUnion
