Iconic TYME machine brand of ATMs making a comeback
The TYME machine is returning to Wisconsin.
Nearly 20 years after the last TYME ATM disappeared, Landmark Credit Union is bringing the name back as part of the marketing strategy for its new line of advanced ATMs.
The TYME brand, an acronym for “Take Your Money Everywhere,” was created in the 1970s as a partnership between four Milwaukee banks. The company they created, TYME Corp., was based in Brown Deer and had more than 27,000 ATMS in Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan and Minnesota before it merged with Pulse in 2002.
The brand disappeared in 2004. Years have passed, yet many Wisconsinites continue to refer to ATMs as TYME machines, a colloquialism that confounds the rest of the world.
Brian Melter, Landmark’s chief experience officer, said he started thinking about bringing back the TYME name and logo as a way to have fun, play on state history and establish a distinctive brand as the Brookfieldbased credit union laid plans for a new generation of ATMs.
“We decided to pursue TYME because it was a part of the fabric of Wisconsin
and was an engaging way to bring back an iconic brand while also showcasing the latest ATM technology,” Melter said.
The new ATMs perform all the functions you’d expect, while offering refinements like being able to withdraw money in denominations of your choice, to deposit any combination of currency and checks, and to direct deposits to one or more accounts.
The credit union has been teasing the arrival of the TYME brand in recent weeks with billboards in and around Milwaukee that include the TYME logo and throwback images of roller skates, mix tapes and other 1980s staples.