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At Golden 1 Credit Union, SVP and Chief Marketing Officer Michael Daum is charting a course for modern financial marketing that embraces technological advancements like AI while fiercely protecting brand authenticity. His strategic vision positions marketers to drive tangible results, securing their influence within senior management.
Daum’s approach to Golden 1’s recent second-quarter branding campaign exemplifies this commitment. Instead of opting for generic stock footage or quick AI enhancements, his team invested heavily in filming across California, capturing authentic scenes from downtown Los Angeles to the scenic Pacific Coast Highway. This deliberate choice involved local crews and featured genuine Californians, underscoring the credit union’s dedication to its roots.
The Power of Genuine California Stories
“We like to take these opportunities to tell California stories, and it’s really important to us that we actually film them in California, featuring Californians and shooting with California-based crews,” explains Daum. This philosophy ensures that the $21 billion-asset credit union, headquartered in Sacramento, communicates its brand message with a deeply local and relatable touch.
Known for an “always-on” marketing style, Daum ensures Golden 1 maintains a continuous presence in a highly competitive market. Since his arrival in 2024, he has championed the adoption of marketing technology (martech), including AI, but with a critical caveat: balance.
Strategic AI Integration: Enhancing, Not Replacing, Human Creativity
Golden 1’s increasing use of AI in creative marketing is primarily focused on efficiency. “We’re doing more and more with AI on the creative side, but so far it’s typically for the purpose of condensing a timeline or simplifying a process,” Daum states. He firmly believes that “the creative process itself remains very much human, very authentic to our brand,” emphasizing a conscientious approach to AI implementation.
Daum recognizes AI’s growing significance in financial marketing and plans to expand its application as the technology evolves. Shortly after the extensive California shoot, he convened a summit involving Golden 1’s creative, public relations agencies, and internal marketing teams. The goal: to foster “symbiotic connections” by exploring how each partner leverages AI and to identify emerging tools and strategies on the horizon.
The role of AI in financial marketing, particularly around personalization, will be a key topic Daum discusses at The Financial Brand Forum 2026 as part of the “CMO Masterminds” series. Alongside host Eric Fulwiler, he will delve into how AI can facilitate more personal connections, enhance relevance, accelerate solution delivery for consumers, and provide insights for greater efficiency and scalability.
Leveraging Martech and AI for Hyper-Personalization
Over the past few years, Golden 1 has integrated advanced martech tools with machine learning and AI capabilities to craft highly personalized marketing experiences. This evolution marks a significant shift from outdated, time-bound approaches to customer engagement.
In the past, customer onboarding programs, designed to cross-sell products, were rigidly scheduled at three and six-month intervals. Beyond that, marketers often assumed new product acquisition wouldn’t occur for years. Daum highlights the limitations of such “rudimentary and slow” methods.
The new paradigm allows for deeper relationship insights, combining demographics with real-time behavioral data. This capability enables Golden 1 to identify and act on opportunities to offer relevant products at precisely the right moments. For instance, the credit union’s recently refreshed website and mobile app will utilize enhanced personalization tools to dynamically adjust content, imagery, and financial wellness articles presented to each member upon login, based on their known interactions and current interests.
Bridging the Gap: CMOs and CFOs
Addressing a common industry challenge, Daum plans to tackle the often-strained relationship between CMOs and CFOs during his Forum session. He stresses that marketers must remain focused on their core mission: “Success means you are influencing the bottom line.” Ignoring this fundamental objective can lead to misalignment with senior leadership.
Daum exemplifies effective two-way communication through his experience at Golden 1. Upon joining, he proactively met with CFO Allyson Hill to understand budget realities, investment opportunities, and the credit union’s balance sheet strategies for deposit and loan growth. This collaborative approach ensured his marketing initiatives were strategically aligned with the institution’s overarching financial goals. Daum continues to attend asset-liability management committee meetings, not to dictate pricing, but to provide critical market timing feedback and support product strategies.
Prioritizing the Basics: Member-Centric Service
At its heart, Golden 1 remains a credit union deeply committed to its members, providing financial services that genuinely improve their lives. Daum underscores the importance of serving “many folks in challenged communities that are underbanked,” who rely on Golden 1 for help and advice.
While digital assistance is expanding, Golden 1 maintains a strong physical community presence. This commitment is evident in its two financial resource centers, opened in Sacramento (2024) and Madera (2025). These specialized branches offer extensive financial counseling and education, including bilingual support through one-on-one sessions and live workshops, with more centers planned for the future.
Ultimately, Golden 1’s strategy—blending advanced technology with unwavering authenticity and a member-first approach—aims to continually provide Californians with compelling reasons to choose the credit union.
Source: thefinancialbrand.com