For years, banks and credit unions have clung to the comfort of flat-percentage budgeting—typically allocating 0.05% to 0.07% of total assets to marketing. It’s easy. It’s benchmarked. It’s familiar.
But it’s also backward-looking.
In 2025, amid margin pressure, rising competition, and the surge in digital-first engagement, sticking to historical spend ratios might be costing more than it’s saving. Strategic marketers are shifting away from the “percentage of assets” model and toward objectives-based budgeting—where investment follows ambition.
That means defining clear goals (e.g., deposit growth, rebranding, market expansion), calculating the cost of success, and building your budget around outcomes—not history.
We break this down in our latest white paper, complete with case studies from United Bank, Pinnacle Financial Partners, and Live Oak Bank—each showing how rethinking their marketing investment led to measurable returns.
Key highlights include:
Benchmarks that matter (but don’t define you)
The real ROI of brand investment
How leading banks are tying marketing to strategy—not just spend
A framework for aligning C-suite support and tracking performance
Get the full picture and download the white paper here.
