Are credit union CEOs on the mark with marketing?

by: Ron Shevlin

Mark Arnold published a blog post recently titled What CEOs Want From Marketing in which he captured the thoughts of a number of credit union CEOs regarding what they’re looking for from marketing. A few of the quotes caught my attention:

“Our marketing efforts need to be developed from the perspective of the consumer, not the credit union.”

“I want our brand to be consistent across all channels.”

“I would like our marketing to get us noticed by people that need our products and services. I want the message to reflect our commitment to community, our genuine concern for our fellow citizens and our professionalism. I also want a consistency in our marketing program that establishes an attractive, easily recognizable brand.”

“I view marketing as making the introduction while the responsibility for turning the introduction into a relationship falls to the staff (Loan Officers, Customer Service Reps, Deposit Staff, Trust Officers, etc.).”

My take: If these views are representative of credit union CEOs overall–and I believe that they are–then credit unions are: 1) missing opportunities to make Marketing strategic by relegating the department to tactical activities, and/or 2) putting Marketing in difficult positions by giving them fuzzy, hard-to-measure objectives.

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