Pam Piligian is the Chief Marketing Officer and Senior Vice President at Navy Federal Credit Union, the world’s largest credit union serving over 15 million members with a full range of financial products and services. Under her leadership, Navy Federal has maintained industry-leading satisfaction and trust scores, and her innovative marketing strategies have helped drive large-scale member growth and brand preference. With more than 30 years of experience spanning both agency and in-house roles, Pam brings a uniquely analytical and strategic approach to marketing, blending data-driven insights with a deep commitment to member experience.
About the Episode
Credit unions face relentless rate competition, rising acquisition costs, and growing pressure to prove ROI — all while staying true to their mission. In this episode, Pam Piligian, Chief Marketing Officer and Senior Vice President at Navy Federal Credit Union, shares how the nation’s largest credit union drives growth without sacrificing trust. From operationalizing brand promises across 15 million members to balancing brand and performance marketing, Pam breaks down how service, transparency, and disciplined testing create long-term loyalty in a commoditized financial landscape.
Key Moments
From Agency to Credit Union Leadership
- How Pam’s agency experience shaped her marketing foundation — and what she had to unlearn when moving in-house to a service-driven organization [2:39], [3:52].
Marketing’s Role in Trust and Full-Funnel Growth
- Why marketing must own awareness, education, and relationship-building [6:51].
- How trust became a core metric alongside awareness and preference [8:53].
Personalization and Listening at Scale
- Building six member personas to better serve over 15 million members [15:05].
- Using real-time feedback signals to refine targeting and improve relevance over time [16:18].
Balancing Brand and Performance Under Budget Pressure
- Why Pam prioritizes “brand performance” [21:08].
- How channel selection and audience eligibility drive media efficiency [22:25].
Transparency as a Competitive Advantage
- Launching public Trustpilot product reviews to reinforce credibility and earn trust [27:25].
Data, Testing, and Smarter Decision-Making
- Why a dedicated testing budget is critical for staying relevant [31:45].
- Where data informs decisions best and where overreliance can create false certainty [34:45].
Protecting Credit Union Relevance
- Why irrelevance poses the greatest long-term threat to credit unions [43:02].
Top Insights
- Operationalize your brand promise across every channel – Ensuring your service experience consistently reflects your messaging builds credibility and long-term member trust.
- Measure trust, not just awareness and conversions – Tracking trust as a core metric strengthens loyalty and protects against purely rate-driven competition.
- Build structured member personas and actively listen to feedback – Using segmentation and behavioral signals improves personalization and increases marketing relevance.
- Allocate dedicated budget for continuous testing – Committing resources to experimentation helps you stay ahead of changing media landscapes and consumer expectations.
- Align marketing closely with operations and delivery teams – Working horizontally across the organization ensures marketing promises are fully supported by real member experiences.
Notable Quotes
- “But the point of difference really is the service…we answer about a million calls every week.”
- “So being able to look at the brand message and how you operationalize it across all channels and make it an omni experience for our members, really is a game changer, and it’s a lot harder.”
- “But the thing that we really measure, that we really focus on is trust.”
- “So I think part of it is kind of stepping back and saying, how are you earning trust?”
- “An investment is an expenditure with an expected return.”
Resources
Industry Experts
Companies and Organizations
- Session Interactive
- Navy Federal Credit Union
- Blue Star Families
- United Service Organizations (USO)
- Bob Woodruff Foundation
Tools and Platforms
Building Trust That Fuels Sustainable Growth
If your marketing strategy revolves around rates and short-term promotions, you’re competing in a race to the bottom. Real growth in financial services comes from operationalizing your brand, earning trust daily, and aligning marketing with the full member experience. At Session Interactive, we help financial institutions connect brand and performance to drive accountable acquisition and long-term loyalty. Let us help you build a growth strategy rooted in trust, transparency, and measurable impact.
For more insights on credit union marketing, member acquisition, and data-driven growth, subscribe to the Built to Convert podcast. Ready to strengthen your brand and prove ROI? Contact Session Interactive to see how we can help you grow responsibly and convert with confidence.
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