The news: Larger credit unions increased marketing budgets significantly in 2025 and dedicated a much bigger share of operating expenses to marketing than their smaller competitors, according to recent analysis of nearly 3,000 credit unions using NCUA data by Capital Performance Group and The Financial Brand.

Zoom in: This widening marketing gap will in turn widen the customer acquisition gap.

• Institutions with above $5 billion in assets put more than three times as much of their operating expenses toward marketing as credit unions with under $100 million in assets.
• Marketing budgets accelerated sharply (around 9%) in 2025 for mid-sized and large institutions, while the smallest credit unions reported essentially no growth.
• The institutions spending the most on marketing also posted the strongest business performance, including higher deposit growth (6.1% for credit unions with over $5 billion in assets versus 1.2% for those with under $100 million), stronger loan growth, and higher revenue growth.

The findings firmly establish marketing as a core growth driver tied directly to deposits, loans, customer acquisition, and long-term franchise value.

Zoom out: EMARKETER forecast data reinforces that marketing and advertising are becoming core growth investments for financial institutions (FIs), rather than discretionary expenses. Financial services total media ad spending is projected to rise from roughly $39.9 billion in 2023 to more than $60 billion by 2027, as competition for customer acquisition, brand visibility, and digital engagement intensifies. 

Implications for FIs: As industry ad spending keeps climbing, FIs that underinvest risk becoming less visible in increasingly crowded digital channels where consumers discover and compare financial products.

Larger FIs are better positioned to absorb rising media and customer acquisition costs, sustain long-term brand investment, and compete across expensive channels like paid search, streaming TV, social media, and performance marketing. Smaller institutions may struggle to keep pace, increasing pressure to differentiate through more targeted and community-driven strategies, including local partnerships and niche positioning.

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