When a credit union decides to produce a holiday campaign entirely on its own, the results can either feel like a home movie or a genuine hit. For Meriwest Credit Union, that bet paid off in gold. The San Jose-based financial institution has been honored with a 2026 MarCom Gold Award for “Meriwest Magic,” a holiday commercial series that was conceived, created, and produced completely in-house. The campaign was designed to showcase the people, relationships, and experiences that define Meriwest.
The MarCom Awards, presented each year by the Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals (AMCP), recognize standout work in the concept, direction, design, and production of marketing and communication materials. The 2026 competition drew more than 6,000 entries from the United States, Canada, and 40 other countries, making the Gold Award a particularly competitive achievement.
“Meriwest Magic” aims to bring the credit union’s member experience to life through stories centered on people, relationships, and community. The underlying message is straightforward: great banking starts with understanding what matters to members, then helping them turn their goals and aspirations into real possibilities.
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“I’m incredibly proud of the team behind Meriwest Magic,” said Chad Maze, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Meriwest Credit Union. “Our Vice President of Marketing and Communications, Meilee Epler, was the creative visionary behind the campaign, Brooks Bogle made an impressive directorial debut, and ‘Cinema’ Stephen Nguyen, our multimedia producer, helped turn that vision into something special. The entire production was created by our people, in our branches and throughout our community. Winning a MarCom Gold Award is tremendous recognition, but what I love most is that the work feels authentically Meriwest. It captures the people, relationships, and sense of possibility we want members to experience when they choose Meriwest.”
The campaign was entered in the MarCom Awards’ Video/Film: Marketing category. To keep the production genuinely homegrown, Meriwest pulled together its own associates, branches, employee homes and vehicles, and even member businesses as locations and talent.
The full “Meriwest Magic” holiday commercial series can be viewed on the credit union’s YouTube channel.
About Meriwest Credit Union
Founded in San Jose, California, in 1961, Meriwest Credit Union is a $2.1 billion financial institution as of September 30, 2026, serving more than 80,000 members and businesses across the San Francisco Bay Area and Pima County, Arizona. Meriwest provides personal banking, business banking and wealth advisory services with a focus on personalized advice, convenient access and meaningful member relationships. Meriwest has been recognized as one of the “Best Credit Unions in Silicon Valley” in the Mercury News Readers’ Choice Awards and as a “Best Place to Work” by the Silicon Valley Business Journal from 2020 through 2026. Learn more at www.meriwest.com.
About the MarCom Awards
Established in 2004, the MarCom Awards is an international creative competition recognizing outstanding achievement in marketing and communications. The competition is administered and judged by the Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals (AMCP) and features more than 300 categories across Print, Web, Video, and Strategic Communications. For more information, visit www.marcomawards.com.
Jeffrey Zane
Meriwest Credit Union
+1 408-612-1484
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Why it matters: In an era of outsourced marketing and big-budget ad agencies, Meriwest’s in-house Gold Award win proves that community-focused financial institutions can compete on creativity and authenticity. The recognition underscores how a deep understanding of members—rather than a big production budget—can drive award-winning campaigns that resonate.
