NASHVILLE, Tenn.—Credit unions’ growth hinges on forming and deepening relationships with both prospective and existing members, and a vital element in growing those relationships is maintaining a clear, consistent brand, one marketing executive is emphasizing.
As if the market weren’t already complex enough, building and maintaining those relationships has become an even greater challenge to credit unions as AI becomes more sophisticated and ubiquitous, while credit unions are also demanding to see demonstrable ROI on their marketing investments.
Below, Kedran Brush, CEO of Brand825, a marketing and creative services company that works with credit unions shares her insights and experiences in working to meet those challenges.
Brush’s observations are shared here as part of the CU Daily’s series, “The Growth Imperative,” with an emphasis on strategic planning for 2027.
The CU Daily: As credit unions move into planning season, describe the challenge of keeping up with, or ahead of, the latest technology developments.
Brush: I think the real challenge is trying to decide which of the latest developments truly matter. Every week brings a new AI model, a new platform feature or a new Martech tool, and most of it is noise for a credit union with a lean marketing team. Our job is to be that resource and thought leader.
We approach this in three phases. First, we use the tools ourselves before we recommend them, so our advice comes from actual hands-on experience. Then, we stay close to the industry through conferences, CUSOs, and fintech partners. These are the best places to learn what credit unions are actually adopting rather than what’s being hyped.
Finally, we measure everything against one question: does this help a credit union reach, serve or keep members better? If it doesn’t, then it doesn’t get integrated.
The CU Daily: Are credit unions making any specific requests or looking for particular solutions?
Brush: Yes, and the common thread is accountability. Credit unions want to see the return on their marketing investment. Boards and executive committees are asking for ROI reporting that goes well beyond impressions and clicks, so we’re building more reporting that connects campaigns to loans, deposits, and new memberships.
We’re also hearing a lot about websites as a lead generation and resource for credit unions. A credit union’s site is its most important branch, and members expect it to be fast, secure, easy to use on a phone, and simple to navigate.
On top of that, many credit unions are asking for help telling their story clearly, especially after mergers or charter changes, and for practical guidance on using AI without losing the human voice that sets them apart from other credit unions.
The CU Daily: This year has seen the peak (so far) of AI-driven fraud, targeting both credit unions and their members. How do you stay on top of this threat?
Brush: We aren’t a core or data security provider, but brand and communication sit right at the center of this problem. Fraud today often works by impersonating a trusted brand through fake websites, spoofed texts, and cloned voices. That makes brand consistency a must in the security discussion.
We help credit unions by building and maintaining websites with security best practices and clear, consistent branding that members learn to recognize. We also create member education campaigns that explain what the credit union will and won’t ever ask for. And we encourage clients to communicate early and often, so members hear about new scam tactics from their credit union first.
It’s challenging because the tactics change fast, but the answer always includes consistent messaging, educated members, and a brand people can recognize and trust.
The CU Daily: How is your own firm incorporating AI into its own technology and systems? How are your clients adopting it? What do you recommend to them related to AI?
Brush: We use AI throughout our process for research, brainstorming on first drafts, data analysis, workflow automation, and speeding up production work. It lets our team spend more time on strategy and creative thinking, where we add the most value. What we don’t do is let AI replace judgment. Every piece of work still passes through a team of experienced marketers who know the credit union industry.
Client adoption varies with some credit unions who are experimenting boldly, while others are still writing their first AI policy. We’ve also worked with companies building AI platforms for the industry, which gives us a view from both sides.
Our advice is to start with a clear policy: pick one or two real problems to solve, and protect your voice. Members join credit unions because they want to feel less like a transaction and more like they are part of a community. AI should help you deliver that experience faster and set your brand apart from your competitors.
The CU Daily: Brand825 has just celebrated its tenth anniversary and has grown substantially since its founding. Is it still focusing on this kind of growth? Is there another type of growth the company is focusing on?
Brush: We’re proud of how far we’ve come in 10 years, and we’ll keep growing our team and client base year over year. But the growth we care most about is the depth of our client partnerships.
That means deeper relationships with the credit unions and industry partners we already serve. In other words, we want to be considered a long-term strategic partner instead of a vendor they call for one project. It also means growing our capabilities, especially in data, measurement, and AI, so we can answer the harder questions our clients are being asked by their boards.
And it means growing our team. The industry changes quickly, and our team has to keep learning faster than the market moves.
The CU Daily: What are your clients focusing on in terms of growth?
Brush: Most of our clients are focused on growth that lasts by attracting younger members, deepening relationships with the members they already have, and growing loans and deposits in a competitive rate environment. There’s less appetite for growth at any cost and more interest in efficient growth they can measure.
We’re also seeing credit unions invest in growth through community presence, including events, partnerships, and local storytelling, because that’s where they can stand out from big banks. The credit unions doing this well are clear about who they serve and consistent in how they show up, both online and in person.
CU Daily: Where will you be focused moving forward?
Brush: As we move into our second decade, we’re putting more focus on helping credit unions prove the value of their marketing. We’re expanding our reporting and analytics work so marketing leaders can walk into a board meeting with clear numbers that connect their work to real results. We think that’s one of the most important things we can deliver for our client partners.
Additional Reporting
Additional reporting in this series on 2027 Strategic Planning can be found here:
