Credit union marketing has evolved tremendously over time. Credit unions, once seen as the mom-and-pop-shop approach to financial services for the "little guy," have evolved into a strong financial cooperative movement that empowers and enriches more than 118 million member-owners nationwide. Few financial industry success stories rival the growth of credit unions in size, scope and service, and effective marketing has been central to that growth.

But conditions are changing, and the familiar one-size-fits-all marketing approach is losing both its edge and effectiveness as communities throughout the United States continue to rapidly diversify. The current credit union member pool has broadened to include a rich cultural mix of individuals and communities, each of whom have their own lifestyles, principles and standards. Marketing, classically defined, is the art and science of helping businesses attract and serve clients in ways meaningful to them. As such, credit union marketing needs to evolve along with the changing marketplace institutions seek to serve.