LAS VEGAS – The Financial Brand Forum 2014 opened Thursday here at Ceasar's Palace and in an opening address, shared the key to getting CFOs on board with marketing: differentiation.

“Strong brands make more money,” said Jeffry Pilcher, founder/publisher of The Financial Brand, to the more than 400 financial executives from 14 countries, six continents attending the two-day conference. “The differential is the ROI of marketing.”

The more banks and credit unions are the same, the more they train consumers into being rate sensitive. And, he said, homogeneity is an admission that the brand is weak.

“Differentiation is basic human psychology. We're hard wired to notice things that stand out,” said Pilcher. “Differentiation is key to branding and the first thing is to focus on emotional benefits and differentiate around those in relevant ways.”

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He suggested attendees forget the arbitrary rules and push past the fear of failure to rethink financial marketing.

“It takes courage to be an innovator. There's no shame in being afraid but you should be ashamed if you stay afraid and let those fears hold your brand back,” he said. “It takes grit and courage to set your brand apart. Great branding defeats the status quo. Go where your competition isn't, do what they can't.”

Developed from the questions marketers have posed to Pilcher over the past seven years, the Financial Brand Forum will run from April 3-4.