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Michael Daum, Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer at Golden 1 Credit Union, is navigating the complex landscape of modern financial marketing by strategically integrating artificial intelligence while fiercely safeguarding brand authenticity. His insights into delivering tangible results – deposits, loans, and strong relationships – will be a key highlight at the upcoming Financial Brand Forum 2026, where he’s set to share his expertise in the CMO Masterminds track.
Authenticity at the Core of Golden 1’s Branding
For Golden 1 Credit Union’s latest branding campaign, Daum recently oversaw a significant film project, capturing California’s iconic landscapes and its diverse residents. This extensive investment in time and resources underscores a crucial philosophy: authenticity. Daum emphasizes that using generic stock footage or AI-generated visuals would compromise their brand’s commitment to telling genuine California stories, filmed by local crews featuring real Californians.
With $21 billion in assets, Sacramento-based Golden 1 is one of the nation’s largest credit unions, making this dedication to genuine representation even more impactful in a highly competitive market.
Strategic AI Adoption: Enhancing, Not Replacing, Human Creativity
Daum, a seasoned financial marketer with a decade each at USAA and KeyBank before joining Golden 1 in 2024, is known for his “always-on” marketing approach, ensuring Golden 1 maintains continuous messaging. He advocates for increased martech adoption and recognizes AI’s growing role in marketing. However, his strategy for AI integration is balanced and deliberate.
Currently, Golden 1 leverages AI primarily for process efficiency, such as condensing timelines or streamlining workflows. Daum stresses that the fundamental creative process remains deeply human and true to the brand’s essence. This conscientious application of AI ensures it serves as a powerful tool to augment, rather than dictate, their creative output.
Fostering Symbiotic Connections with Agency Partners
Acknowledging AI’s inevitable expansion in financial marketing, Daum is proactive in exploring its future potential. He recently convened a summit involving Golden 1’s creative and public relations agencies alongside the credit union’s internal marketing team. The goal was to share how each party is currently utilizing AI, discuss emerging tools, and identify collaborative opportunities to leverage AI more effectively across the board.
During his Financial Brand Forum 2026 session, Daum will delve deeper into AI applications, particularly around personalization. He aims to explore how AI can cultivate more personal connections, enhance relevance, accelerate solution delivery for consumers, and provide superior insights to drive efficiencies and scale marketing efforts faster.
Revolutionizing Personalization with Martech and AI
The combination of advanced martech tools and AI capabilities, including machine learning, has enabled Golden 1 to achieve unprecedented levels of personalized marketing. Daum highlights a significant shift from outdated, time-bound onboarding processes to dynamic, real-time engagement.
In the past, cross-selling efforts for new customers were often restricted to fixed intervals, like three or six months into a relationship, after which the assumption was that further product adoption would be years away. The new approach, powered by AI, allows Golden 1 to personalize interactions based on real-time demographics and behavioral data, identifying and seizing opportunities to offer relevant products precisely when members need them.
For instance, Golden 1’s refreshed website and mobile app now utilize enhanced personalization tools to dynamically adjust content for each member upon login. This includes tailored imagery, relevant financial wellness articles, and other content based on their observed activity and expressed needs.
Aligning Marketing with Financial Goals: The CMO-CFO Synergy
Addressing the common friction between Chief Marketing Officers and Chief Financial Officers, Daum will emphasize the critical need for alignment during his Forum session. He advises marketers to always remember their core mission: to positively impact the institution’s bottom line. Becoming insular or losing sight of broader organizational goals can create significant challenges in managerial alignment.
Daum exemplifies this by recalling his early days at Golden 1, where he actively sought to understand the credit union’s financial landscape. He met with CFO Allyson Hill to discuss budget parameters, potential investment opportunities, and the institution’s balance sheet strategies for deposit and loan growth. This collaborative approach ensured he was oriented with the strategic plan from the outset.
His continued participation in Golden 1’s asset-liability management committee meetings further solidifies this synergy. While not involved in pricing decisions, Daum contributes vital market timing feedback and support for product and pricing strategies.
Back to Basics: Serving Members and Communities
At its heart, Golden 1 Credit Union remains steadfast in its mission to serve members, particularly those in underserved and challenged communities who rely on accessible financial services and advice. While embracing digital advancements, the credit union maintains a strong physical presence in the community.
Golden 1 has opened financial resource centers in Sacramento’s Del Paso Heights (2024) and Madera (2025). These specialized branches offer extensive financial counseling and education, including bilingual assistance, one-on-one sessions, and live workshops on crucial financial topics, with plans for more centers in the future. This unwavering commitment to service provides compelling reasons for Californians to choose Golden 1 for their financial needs.
Source: TheFinancialBrand.com