Rachel Mouser was brought to tears during Financial Plus Credit Union’s first-ever in-service day.

It was the culmination of 18 months of hard work for the vice president of marketing, who helped lead the $1.3 billion asset credit union in Flint, Mich., through a merger and rebrand.

This effort earned her the 2023 Marketing & Business Development Council Marketing Professional of the Year Award, while the in-service day put the rebrand on full display for her peers.

The ensuing standing ovation kicked off one of the best days she’s had in her 11 years at the credit union since starting as a part-time teller while attending college.

“All of the hard work building the brand, and then seeing the reception from the people who represent it every day, felt so good,” Mouser says of the event that brought employees from both institutions together for the first time. “I had tears in my eyes. It was an amazing experience. There was a ton of bonding and camaraderie.”

The in-service day, which won a Marketing & Business Development Council Diamond Award, was just the start of Financial Plus’ brand reveal. Mouser’s team also had to share its work with the public.

“I was so nervous, but excited to finally share it,” she says. “We had a brand war room set up for launch, and our whole team was around the table pushing the button to send things out.”

Most of the feedback was positive, as members saw a more modern, simpler logo that Mouser believes stands out more than the previous one.

“We put endless amounts of homework into this,” she says. “There's so much science behind a brand, and it's more than just how you look. We wanted to make sure that whatever we landed on felt right and embodied who we truly are.”

The brand’s essence is “reach,” according to Mouser, who says the credit union’s mission is to provide the tools, knowledge, and resources to help people reach their dreams.

“We try to embody that in every message and visual we send out,” she says. “We want to be that ‘plus’ in someone's life—that positive addition to help them reach their goals and dreams.”

Once the brand launched, Mouser sat back and thought, “What’s next?”

Thanks to the merger, she’s getting back to business with a larger marketing team that allows for a more sophisticated, personalized, proactive approach to data analytics, growth, and digital marketing.

“Financial institutions are in a revolutionary period,” Mouser says. “We found ourselves facing less branch traffic and not seeing our members face-to-face as much. How can we be there for them every step of the way no matter where they are? We’re looking in that mirror, and many of us have found the answer through financial wellness and financial empowerment.”