Parks put her audience members to the test. During the session groups of attendees rolled dice to pick well-branded companies and pretend that company walked into a credit union branch and imposed its values on your credit union. For example a credit union that rolled for Apple said its branches would be sleek and high-tech. Another group that also rolled Apple said their packaging would be beautiful to make more of an emotional connection with the members, as Apple does with its customers.

That was a key point during Parks' presentation. Humans are powered by emotion and not reason, which is why we don't all own the same car, she said.

Parks' explained that one study found people looking at a coffee mug perceived the value to be $3.12 but after owning the coffee mug, they perceived it to be worth $7.12. So, to beat the competition you have to cost half as much or be twice as good, she reasoned, because people value what they have.

The key to achieving this perceived value is to know why what you do matters. Parks gave the example of Harley-Davidson, which represents freedom on the open road. And beloved brands are loyal to their founders, like Disney.

To make the point more concrete, Parks pointed out that CUs received expanded field of membership powers during the 1990s and 2000s, yet membership growth has continued to decline. “Why hasn't that growth spiked? I think it's because we lost that affinity,” she concluded.