Value > Noise

To be a good marketer, is to be human

We are all using AI and I have written about it extensively.

But we must also all be humans in our work.

One of my favorite people, Brittany Hodak, wrote about this in her newsletter recently. According to a 2026 survey by GetResponse, about two-thirds of consumers say they believe brands value new customers more than existing ones. That number jumps to nearly 70% among customers who repurchase monthly.

Imagine if we operated all our businesses like a credit union: Member-focused and community-first.

Brands are Stories that Connect

Last week, credit unions got together in Denver to celebrate the best of the best. It’s tough with limited budgets and in a regulated industry with commoditized products to build a brand story, but damnit if these are some amazing brand stories.

Take a look at the winners and be inspired for the work being done in our communities.

The Inbox is Still Battleground No. 1

It is easy to think (and we all experience) that we get too many emails. But then why does it still perform? Much like direct mail still performs in 2026; it has people’s attention.

In the Litmus 2025 “State of Email” report, they reported that some companies are seeing results from 10:1 to 36:1. That’s an insane ROI for a platform many are just doing the bare minimum.