“Every Wednesday night, you'll find those young, exciting future members at church,” said Dias. “There is a whole demographic out there of evangelical Christians. Is your community credit union reaching out to them? That demographic has done it for “American Idol,” imagine what they can do for your credit union. Gen Y turned 30 last year. Credit unions talked about them at their prime don't make the same mistake with the Millenials.”

He added that if Gen Y is a moving target then the Millenials, many of whom have become entrepreneurs by fifth grade, are a mystery: an invisible target that credit unions will need night goggles to effectively serve.

“Don't be afraid to invite your members to an experience,” said Dias. “Think beyond a billboard or radio ad, pursue the business passionately and don't think presentation but performance.”

Dias also stressed the importance of credit unions talking up the positives of who they are and what they do rather than resorting to bank bashing. He emphasized that rather than talking about the stuff that everyone has, such as checking, credit unions need to focus on “style,” sharing their unique story to differentiate themselves.

“Forget about your competition, stop asking members if they know the difference between a bank and a credit union. Just tell them who you are, what you do and why they should be doing business with you,” said Dias. “Swiffer became popular because it simply explained how it works. Does your marketing pass the Swiffer test?”