Marketing teams needs to take the blinders off and recognize that the next “big thing” in marketing isn’t marketing at all—it’s the urgent need for marketers to understand how the marketplace dictates what consumers demand.

To illustrate: the book, “Big Bang Disruption: Strategy in the Age of Devastating Innovation” by Larry Downes and Paul Nunes, describes how, in the past, a product or service lifecycle in a market segment gained traction in a traditional bell curve.

Members would adopt offerings gradually with the segment gaining momentum and sustained over time, allowing new players to step in and participate in the competition.

Now, according to Downes and Nunes, markets are conquered with a “shark fin” burst of domination: a peak comes early, led by innovators and early adopters with a second iteration followed shortly behind.

Successful credit unions will deploy strategies that align with what consumers already demand in the marketplace. Nonsuccessful credit unions will still be discussing strategy while leading-edge survivors will be well ahead, working on their second iteration of product offerings.

Whether it’s artificial intelligence, chatbots, or digital humanization, marketers need to realize the control has shifted.

We don’t get to dictate product offerings—members are demanding it. Only those who take heed will survive.

MIA PEREZ is chief administrative officer for Louisiana Federal Credit Union in La Place.

This article is part of a larger focus on the future of financial services. Read more at news.cuna.org/cufuture. And use the hashtag #CUFuture to join the Future Forum.