With digital advertising spending expected to increase this year by 13% to $169 billion according to MarketingDive, marketers will need to understand the new display ad formats and updated strategies to get the best return on their ad dollar investments.

The truth is that there is a lot of innovation going on with new digital ad formats that drive higher engagement with audiences such as:

• New high-impact units that give better visibility to your message.
• Video units that help you better tell your story.
• Multichannel ad strategies where you message prospects on CUTimes.com, as they access websites during their day, and on their social feeds.
• Premium programmatic units that grab attention but can be dialed up or down at a moment’s notice.

Fortunately, CUTimes has you covered with our May 4 webcast: ROI of Advanced Digital Advertising, where our B2B ad product experts walked through the various options. Click here to register for the replay.

And we have other suggestions for improving the ROI you are getting with webcasts, brand marketing and content marketing. Please contact me at [email protected] to learn more.

Trends Credit Union Marketers Need to Know

• CFPB/Regulation Rollback – In the last days of March, the Biden Administration and regulatory agencies, such as the CFPB, began announcing pandemic-related regulations that are or will be rolled back for financial institutions. Credit union leaders are wary of this approach by the administration, as they are for any stricter regulations to be put in place. This wave of new/old regulations coming back into the mix will continue for the months to come.
• The big banks and community banks have used the pandemic as an opportunity to invest in a better mobile banking experience and they are tossing a lot of money into new anti-credit union marketing campaigns, as well as branding efforts to lure credit union members away. And by many accounts, this big bank strategy is working.
• Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) efforts in the credit union industry have progressed fairly quickly. Six to nine months ago, the industry as a whole took a stand for DEI by making bold statements and then hiring DEI executives. We are now watching credit unions put their words into real action in some locations. We expect these “on the ground” DEI efforts to begin in the larger metro areas and then filter down to hyperlocal spots around the country.
• As we are seeing a record shortage of homes for sale in many regions across the country, we are watching similar trends unfold in the automotive industry. Auto lending took a direct hit as COVID-19 swept the country, and now, due to shortages of parts and semiconductors, auto inventory is low and prices have climbed. This combination could be a true lending struggle for credit unions as we move through 2021.
• Mergers and acquisitions began to creep back into view late in 2020 and they are in full view now. Credit unions are looking at M&As for growth strategies and to expand its field of membership. While most M&As go as expected, we have seen some efforts fall apart. Expect M&A announcements to increase throughout 2021.