While credit unions face challenges in the current marketplace, Nussle told CU Times professionals in the industry have felt motivated by the challenges and view them as opportunities. He noted the idea for a national campaign has been coming up through credit unions for quite some time, and that many of the features of credit unions will not have to change for them to be successful in the future.

"We have cooperative credit union super powers," Nussle said. "We have a different attitude, and we have cooperative principles among us, which are the principles of our being."

One goal of the campaign will be to dispel myths about credit unions among the general public – two common ones are that consumers believe they must belong to a specific group to join a credit union and that because credit unions are local, they won't be able to access their money when they travel. Nussle said when a consumer hears "credit union membership," they may compare it to a satellite TV contract, for example, and assume they won't be able to "get out of it." The campaign seeks to change that way of thinking.

"I see a myth as a vacuum that needs to be filled," he said. "There's the myth that you can't become a member, but on the other side of that is you get to be a member. We want to use the word 'member' to convey value. Then there's the myth that you won't have access to your money when you travel, but the opposite side of the coin is you get to be part of a great, local cooperative."

When asked how the campaign will tap into the emotions of consumers, Nussle emphasized that money is one of the most important, emotional and intellectual things anyone has to deal with. He also spoke to the fact that many Americans are facing a personal financial crisis, with about half without even $400 in savings, and added financial troubles can cause physical and mental health problems such as depression, substance abuse and obesity. In response, credit unions will have to convey that they are here to help people figure out how to get out of trouble.

And to reach consumers effectively, their marketing strategy must be highly targeted.

"When you first think of marketing, you might think of a TV advertisement or a billboard, but that's like spraying water from a sprinkler over an entire lawn," he noted. "Now, you have to take an eyedropper and get to the single root of a blade of grass. It's that targeted."

Following last week's Open Your Eyes campaign announcement, Nussle said his hope is that credit union executives will think about the concept, become challenged by it and consider making a three-year commitment to it, maybe starting with a $1 donation to support the program. CUNA has invested $2 million into the program and will rely on member credit unions to fulfill the remainder of the $100 million fundraising goal.

More details about the consumer components of the campaign are either yet to be determined or have not been revealed publicly, Nussle said. During the second half of 2018, much of the work will be focused on testing the effectiveness of the components of the campaign; CUNA also plans to show credit unions how their donations to the program will lead to ROI.