The cooperative paradox: Why the industry’s greatest strength is its most underutilized tool

For decades, we’ve rallied behind the "People Helping People" banner. It’s the heartbeat of our community outreach. But as we look at the shifting landscape of 2026—where fintechs redefine convenience with frictionless onboarding and hyper-personalized apps—we have to ask ourselves: Are we truly living the cooperative model, or are we just using it as a slogan?

We often describe cooperation as a core "value," but as Rob Keatts, EVP at Chartway FCU, recently noted, we need to start treating it as what it really is: an operating system. While megabanks and fintechs run an "extraction model"—built to maximize shareholder returns and protect proprietary moats—credit unions have a structural advantage. We build networks instead of walls.

In an environment of rising costs and regulatory complexity, we have to outsmart, not outspend, the competition. The smartest move a credit union can make is to stop acting like an isolated island and start acting like a fleet.

Our industry’s history with cooperative advertising is complicated. In my home state, the Michigan Credit Union League (MCUL) has demonstrated for over two decades the massive impact of a unified voice. Through initiatives like Try a Credit Union, they don’t just create ads, they create a category-level shift in consumer perception. Tracked, measured, and tangible results.

But for every Michigan, there are state-level experiments that have seen as many misses as successes. Often, these efforts stall because of a lack of sustained commitment, shifting funding models, or middling creative. Cooperation isn't sentiment; it’s a strategic capability. When we treat it as a "nice-to-have" rather than a functional part of our OS, we lose our edge.

We don’t have to look far for proof of concept that goes beyond 30-second spots. When the industry rallies behind existing long-form media, the reach is unparalleled. Think of the collective support for PBS’ Biz Kid$ or Opportunity Knocks. These weren't just commercials; they were mission-driven content that positioned credit unions as a solution to financial hardship.

By funding high-quality, "appointment viewing" content together, credit unions bypassed the noise of traditional advertising and built deep educational equity with the public. These successes prove that when we pool our capital to create stories that matter, we don't just reach members—we change the national conversation.

Our recent history with national campaigns, from CUNA’s “Open Your Eyes to a Credit Union” to “Your Money Further,” serves as a reminder that cooperation is hard work. These initiatives began with an incredible surge of communal energy from the movement, but the sheer volume of voices and competing regional priorities made it difficult to maintain a singular, long-term trajectory.

While I would love nothing more than to produce a cooperative Super Bowl spot for credit unions, I’m not convinced it would actually move the needle on the national financial conversation. A 30-second play creates short-term buzz and a moment of industry pride, but it doesn't solve the structural problem. We need something deeper and far more flexible.

Look at the American Bankers Association (ABA) and their “Banks Never Ask That” campaign. It isn't a $7 million, one-off ego trip. It’s a multi-year, multi-bank coordinated effort that uses humor and advertising-style clarity to combat a $16 billion fraud problem. It works because the messaging isn't proprietary, rather it’s a shared defense system. It is a prime example of an industry treating cooperation not just as a nice sentiment, but as an operating system’s virus protection.

The mistake we often make is trying to find one "Grand Campaign" to solve every industry woe at once. As management consulting like to say, “we need to stop trying to boil the ocean,” and start thinking in bite-sized chunks. Instead of one massive, expensive campaign to combat them all, we should be slowly chipping away at each problem individually.

Think of it as modular cooperation. We don't need to win the whole war in a single 30-second spot. We need to win tactical battles. We pool resources for a "Fraud Awareness" module this quarter, a "First-Time Homebuyer" module the next, and a "Small Business Growth" module after that.

Cooperative media doesn’t need to be limited to top-of-funnel awareness. Surprisingly, its greatest potential lies in the mid-funnel—the space where curiosity turns into consideration.

Instead of generic "join us" messaging, imagine cooperative explainer journalism. This format allows us to investigate the real-world impact of the credit union cooperative model through high-quality production. We can produce segments that deep-dive into how credit unions are uniquely tackling the housing crisis, fighting predatory lending, or building generational wealth.

By utilizing a "news magazine" approach, we aren't just asking for business; we are earning trust through the problems we solve every day. This is industrial-strength consideration messaging. It moves the needle because it treats decision-makers and potential members as informed participants in a movement rather than just targets for a transaction.

The reality is that a $100M credit union cannot outspend a $2T bank. But a hundred $100M credit unions working in tandem can create a narrative that is impossible to ignore. We already do this with shared branching and payment networks. We collaborate on the infrastructure that doesn’t differentiate us so we can compete where it actually matters: service quality, trust, and relationships. Why don't we apply that same logic to our storytelling?

Instead of ten different marketing teams in the same 100-mile radius each spending $10,000 to produce ten mediocre videos, those ten teams could pool resources to produce one world-class docuseries or a high-impact social media campaign. By cooperating, we can lift the entire movement. This allows each individual credit union to focus the lion's share of their budget on what they do best: localized service and deepening member relationships.

In 2026, we need media-focused collaboration platforms—systems that allow us to co-author our future. We need the ability for a credit union in one region to collaborate with one in another on a financial literacy program, sharing the production costs and creative genius while localizing the content to fit their specific community.

The biggest hurdle isn’t technology or budget. It’s "brand ego." We are often so protective of our specific logo that we miss the opportunity to protect and advance the movement.

If we want to win the battle for the next generation, we have to stop acting like isolated islands. At Storyfi, we’re asking the hard questions about what comes next and taking a page from our decades of experience in cooperative advertising to build the tools that make this collaboration possible. We believe the next era of the movement won't be defined by who has the largest individual marketing budget, but by who is willing to contribute to a story larger than themselves.

The cooperative model was never meant to be a relic of our past. It is the blueprint for our future. It’s time we stop just talking about being a cooperative and start marketing like one.