While it wasn't that long ago that companies like Meta and Google shot the ad-tech industry into the stratosphere, they've since become the very thing weighing it down. Credit unions and community banks, like any organization, have historically used these tools to acquire customers and members. However, due to the constantly increasing cost per acquisition (CPA) and low return, it's getting increasingly difficult to justify the cost of using these ad-tech strategies. But these same financial institutions are the ones that, in theory, could be best served by advancements in ad-tech, rather than getting left behind by sticking to the status quo.

The Failure of Modern Marketing

Like many things before it, ad-tech can be an incredibly useful tool or an insurmountable obstacle, depending on how you use it. As the adage goes, the first person to invent fire definitely got burned. But then they took a step back and studied the fire. They learned how to stay warm and how to cook, and these advancements led to even more important discoveries. It's time for credit unions to take their hands off of this flame fueled by the search for impressions and other unreliable data and focus on what actually matters: Returns. When you put money into your advertising, how much of it is wasted on empty impressions? And how much of it actually leads to a return?