admin The financial industry is undergoing fundamental changes with the rise of new companies, spin-offs, and fintechs entering this once traditionally institutional space. These new trends require organizations to employ marketing leaders who can navigate and excel amid a sea of change. One such personality who has shown an exceptional ability to deliver results is Sharon Cook, the chief marketing officer at Mountain America Credit Union.
Mountain America is a federally-chartered credit union that was founded during the Great Depression. As a full-service financial institution headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah, it serves more than one million members across six states. The credit union is regulated by the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA), a federal government agency primarily responsible for regulating federal credit unions, insuring deposits, and protecting members. Mountain America Credit Union is ranked in the top 12 of U.S. credit unions with more than $14 billion in assets.
Providing Holistic Solutions
Mountain America is a member-owned, not-for-profit financial cooperative directed by a volunteer board of directors. Banks, on the other hand, are for-profit entities run by a paid board of directors, whose profits equally benefit the bank shareholders. Since making a profit is not a credit union’s primary focus, Mountain America is dedicated to improving the lives and financial conditions of their members.
A Member-Centric Focus
Mountain America is truly a member-centric company. They offer members lower rates on loans and credit cards, as well as higher earnings on savings and certificates, as well as high-performance checking accounts. The essence of their brand is guidance and this remains the focal point of their identity. It is a purpose-driven identity to ensure that everything the organization does moves members safely along their financial journey. Their commitment to guiding individuals and businesses to define and achieve their financial dreams while making a positive contribution in the community has made Mountain America one of the fastest-growing credit unions nationwide.
Guiding Members Forward
True to the organization’s brand essence, Mountain America spends significant resources to educate members on a whole spectrum of financial topics. They have a plethora of resources such as online newsletters, educational brochures, websites, microsites, blog articles, webinars/seminars, financial wellness offerings for the workplace, student resources, podcasts, social content and even in-branch or virtual financial coaching to assist both members and non-members alike. During the past year, more than one million members and the public have benefitted from these financial education resources.
Innovate and adapt quickly. Innovation goes a long way, combine it with technology and you win the race. – Sharon Cook
Within the company’s branches, employees consider it their privilege instead of just a job to help members with their questions and options. The Mountain America teams follow the “people, helping people” philosophy by providing members with the tools they need to save for their goals and manage their finances effectively. This commitment combined with innovative and convenient products, personalized service, educational resources, premier hiring, and retention practices ensures the credit union is supporting members along their journey to financial security and independence.
The Game Changer
Cook is a well-known leader in the marketing industry who has a thorough understanding of how to tell a story and drive results with marketing. Her audience-focused strategies consistently push her team to take things to the next level. A look at her career track confirms how she has done this time and again across multiple industries.
She has laid the cornerstone at Mountain America Credit Union with a combination of digital, social, and traditional marketing techniques along with innovative ideas and a full suite of advanced technologies. By envisioning the future market ethos, she has implemented the newest and most current thought leadership. Cook is a stalwart whose expertise in strategic communications, creative and content development, public relations, social media, analytics, web development, channel management, brand management, community support, sponsorships, and financial literacy allows her and her team to drive momentum and elevate Mountain America’s rapid growth.
Cook’s educational background is as impressive as her career. Her path can be aptly dubbed as the voyage of a market leader. She graduated from Westminster College with a degree in communications and public relations. She also received a certificate of leadership and negotiation from Harvard Law School. Cook is a lifelong learner with an obsession to seek out industry expertise in both the marketing and business communities. She has a strength for objectively determining if new trends or technologies are right for her company.
Cook is not just passionate about marketing—she has devoted her personal time to help those who cannot help themselves. She co-chairs the annual fundraising event sponsored by Mountain America which has raised nearly two million dollars for Primary Children’s Hospital. Her volunteer work is not limited to inside Mountain America. She has served on a multitude of boards and committees that seek to improve the lives of others.
Throughout her career, she has held multiple positions as director of marketing and director of brand strategy at various top-level finance companies. She is an expert at building and managing brands whether the company is a startup or a multi-billion-dollar organization.
Cook has always held a passion for writing. It was this passion that landed her an early career in strategic communications. Here she honed her communication skills and learned to develop instrumental messages to build brand awareness and marketing campaigns which resulted in exponential growth across several industries.
She understands the importance of technology and data and how it can be used for human benefit. Humans are empathic creatures, and as such, they respond to stories that cultivate emotion and a sense of togetherness—a connection. It was exactly this empathy and sense of belonging that Cook sought to capture in her messages. She brings brands to life.
Focus on strategy – the options, possibilities, and risks. Set a clear plan. Then execute flawlessly. – Sharon Cook
Cook has always been strategic. Whether in work, education or her personal life, she has a plan and a back-up plan. Her systematic introduction and implementation to innovative technologies have helped to imprint the vision of these brands on the public.
Mountain America is highly active in the communities where it does business. Companies and institutions are generally seen as large entities that are far from human. Cook is a gifted storyteller who makes companies come alive with their own unique brand and personalities—ultimately making them more relatable and personable. This is precisely how she grew the Mountain America brand.
She has integrated sophisticated layers of processes into projects while simultaneously improving the team’s overall expertise. Cook is always seeking to develop those on her team and make the next best hire. She has created a unique blend of talent and technology over time. As a pioneer of fusing technology with brand development, she quickly saw the vast potential of social media. She understood the significance this channel held for sharing messages, developing member engagement, and increasing loyalty—and she understands how to monetize it.
Delivering Success
Mountain America Credit Union’s social media campaigns have achieved national recognition from several sources due to outstanding campaigns on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. This was not all that Cook used social media for; she also monetized this channel through new accounts and loan growth. Her ability to develop highly-talented teams to implement a communication strategy, segment campaign targeting, and deliver relevant offers has created excellent results. Thanks to the contribution of Cook’s early and ongoing insights, Mountain America currently ranks number two on social media among credit unions globally and has held this spot for the last several years.
Cook strives to maintain a healthy balance of support for multiple teams in the organization to fuel success. She is a member of the senior leadership team and works to connect the dots to deliver results. Her colleagues have many good things to say about her.
“Sharon brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to everything she does,” said Nathan Anderson, chief operating officer. “Her expertise has helped Mountain America communicate more effectively than ever with our members and share how we can help them define and achieve their financial goals.”
Brant Skousen has worked for Cook for over a decade and calls her a marketing visionary and an engaging leader. “Sharon is dedicated to her team and their development. She sets the bar high for creating an exceptional member experience across all channels and mediums. Her drive for optimization and improvement truly helps Mountain America deliver on their brand promise to guide members forward.”
Brittani Forbush, who worked with the Mountain America account for many years prior to joining the team, has this to say, “Sharon is committed to helping her team succeed and has an innate ability to recognize strengths that individuals may not be aware they possess. She is genuinely concerned about each member of her team and is always looking for development opportunities to help employees reach their potential.”
Alex Barker states, “As the CIO for Mountain America, I feel very fortunate that Sharon leads our talented marketing team and their related digital efforts. She blazed the trail for our use of data analytics over a decade ago. Her passion and expertise in this regard, combined with her strategic partnerships and her talented team members, kickstarted our data efforts which have long-since been adopted company-wide. Sharon is also responsible for building and maintaining our brand through strategic partnerships and community investments and is diligent in protecting the brand.”
A Quest for Excellence
Over the years, Cook has garnered several awards and accolades. In October 2014, she was the global Oracle Markie Award finalist for her accomplishments in areas of advertising, marketing and sales. In May 2015, Cook was recognized by the Credit Union Times as a “Woman to Watch.” The program spotlights influential, forward-thinking women who are proactively molding the future of the credit union community. Insights Success named Cook one of the 10 Most Influential CMOs to Watch in 2018. Finalytics.ai designated Cook as a 2021 Credit Union Digital Experience Winner. Women We Admire recently named Cook as one of the Top 50 Women Leaders of Utah for 2022. She was honored for her entrepreneurial spirit and for carefully identifying and appraising new trends across a wider spectrum of industries.
The foundation of any organization is rooted in service, this is especially true in the case of Cook. She is proof that success is never an accident. It is always the result of intense focus, sincere effort, intelligent direction, and skillful execution. After all, a commitment to excellence is paramount to achieve the ultimate in performance.
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