Executive MBA student Waleed Haleem, left, and Professor Luca Cian, right, hosted Navy Federal Credit Union Chief Marketing Officer Pam Piligian, center right, and Vice President of Marketing Operations Carrie Hill, center left, for a Friday Night Lights event at UVA Darden DC Metro.
Marketing the Mission: Navy Federal CMO Shares Strategies for Growing a Brand Focused on Serving the Military Community
05 August 2026
Student News / Leadership, Marketing
There is no shortage of examples demonstrating the power of the University of Virginia Darden School of Business alumni network. Not to be overlooked, however, is the value current students bring through their own connections and experiences to enrich the learning experience.
That much was on display when Pam Piligian, chief marketing officer of Navy Federal Credit Union, and Carrie Hill, vice president of marketing operations, joined Professor Luca Cian for a recent Friday Night Live event at UVA Darden DC Metro’s Sands Family Grounds in Rosslyn, Virginia. Darden Executive MBA students, alumni and other members of the community had the opportunity to hear Piligian’s and Hill’s insights on marketing and brand-building for the largest credit union in the United States thanks to the efforts of Waleed Haleem (Executive MBA Class of 2027), a technical program manager in Navy Federal’s marketing department who cohosted the event with Cian.
After being introduced by Haleem, Piligian and Hill discussed how Navy Federal differs from other banks and financial institutions, how they’re helping the credit union adapt to digital transformation and how Navy Federal marketing aligns with the organization’s unique mission.
Marketing Aligned With Mission
As a member-owned, not-for-profit credit union exclusively serving active-duty military, veterans and their families, Navy Federal seeks to live by the motto “our members are our mission.”
For example, Piligian said Navy Federal was the first financial institution to provide 24/7 customer service because its members were active-duty soldiers stationed all around the world who didn’t live by U.S. bank hours. While the credit union uses AI and other digital tools to support members, 24/7 human representatives are still a core part of the service.
Hill said Navy Federal’s commitment to service is central to its brand, noting that global market research company Forrester named the credit union as the best brand for customer experience.
“That service experience is a differentiator for us,” she said. “With a fintech company, you’re not going to get someone on the phone 24 hours a day when you have a problem, and they won’t connect with you the way we do.”
Piligian said the marketing team’s job is to make sure current and prospective members understand the value of the credit union’s service. The team accomplishes that, she said, by putting clues in its broadcast commercials and other marketing spots about the credit union’s commitment to members of the military and veterans. They show active-duty people in uniform or veterans discussing their needs.
“Story is powerful for us because we can say we have great service, but why does it matter?” Piligian said. “Storytelling helps answer that.”
Navy Federal’s marketing tells stories that leverage the credit union’s strong service brand for three outcomes, according to Piligian:
“You have to know us, love us, trust us.”
“You have to know you’re eligible.” Only 49 percent of the U.S. market can qualify to join Navy Federal.
Raise awareness about specific products and services. “You might really like us, but you might not think you have a need to move, so we’re trying to do more there.”
From Marketing Strategy to Execution
With more than 15 million members and $203 billion in assets under management, Navy Federal has the scale to put a lot of resources into marketing. It is a major television advertiser, and it has a partnership with the National Hockey League (NHL) that includes numerous marketing events and activations.
However, Piligian noted that the potential to do a lot of marketing does not mean an organization should chase every opportunity.
“The definition of strategy is sacrifice,” she said. “There are so many great things we could all do, but if you don’t focus on the things that have the biggest return on investment, you’re going to scatter your efforts.”
Piligian is the first CMO at Navy Federal in its 90-plus-year history, and she said a key goal has been to establish effective communication and transparency with the credit union’s CFO.
“Let me tell you, if you want to be a CMO, the CFO needs to be your best friend,” she told students, emphasizing the importance of showing ROI to earn trust and budget.
Drilling down from the strategic level to specific activations, Piligian and Hill showed several Navy Federal TV commercials, which drew consistent laughs from the Darden crowd.
“Our brand tone is approachable, and humor is one of the ways we break through,” Piligian said.
Breaking down the marketing decisions in one commercial, Piligian pointed out that “Nick” — the protagonist in the spot — was dressed in a U.S. Army uniform because the Army is the largest branch of the military and the biggest market for Navy Federal. The marketing department wants Army soldiers and veterans to know the credit union with “Navy” in the name is there for them.
Piligian also outlined the reasoning for Navy Federal’s engagement with the NHL.
“We chose to promote NHL hockey because … a lot of the places where hockey is growing, we have a lot of veterans settling.”
Navy Federal even partners with the NHL to put on a tournament for hockey teams comprised of veterans, which Piligian said creates a special emotional connection with one of the credit union’s key member groups.
The Promise and Peril of AI
Hill noted an inherent conundrum for Navy Federal when it came to the use of AI and digital technologies. While many banks and fintech firms are leaning hard into AI to capture efficiencies, Navy Federal, with its human-centered, member service-focused brand, must be careful with its use of the technologies so it doesn’t destroy critical brand value.
Her team has been focused on separating AI hype from AI value.
“How do we come up with use cases that bring value to our member experience?” Hill said. “We have to keep humans in the loop because sometimes our members don’t want to talk to a bot.”
At the end of the day, new AI use cases must pass two tests.
“We’re thinking about what the investment will be and what value it will bring,” she said. And just as important: “We have to make sure we’re using AI in a way that’s authentic to our brand.”
About the University of Virginia Darden School of Business
The University of Virginia Darden School of Business prepares responsible global leaders through unparalleled transformational learning experiences. Darden’s graduate degree programs (Full-Time MBA, Part-Time MBA, Executive MBA, MSBA and Ph.D.) and Executive Education & Lifelong Learning programs offered by the Darden School Foundation set the stage for a lifetime of career advancement and impact. Darden’s top-ranked faculty, renowned for teaching excellence, inspires and shapes modern business leadership worldwide through research, thought leadership and business publishing. Darden has Grounds in Charlottesville, Virginia, and the Washington, D.C., area and a global community that includes 20,000 alumni in 90 countries. Darden was established in 1955 at the University of Virginia, a top public university founded by Thomas Jefferson in 1819 in Charlottesville, Virginia.
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