Coventry Building Society Uses Real Voices to Support Brand Purpose Pitch

Coventry Building Society and The Co-operative Bank had just completed a high-profile merger. For a few months, they had been working collaboratively using a wealth of research and insight to define a new Brand Purpose for the newly formed group that captures the identity, values and ambition moving forward. The next step was to take the new Brand Purpose to the Executive team and Board for approval.

Coventry Building Society approached us to create two short films to capture consumer and colleague feedback to reassure Executive and Board members how the new Brand purpose will land.

We took to the streets of Coventry and Manchester to gather honest consumer feedback through vox pops. We spoke with a diverse mix of members of the public, varying in age, gender, background and bank preference. In order to make sure we received unfiltered and unbiased feedback from customers, we made sure we also had a mix of people who were banking with our client and with other competitors.

Our discussion guide focused on what customers thought about the newly defined Brand Purpose. The responses were overwhelmingly positive. Many respondents commented on how the concept felt fresh, trustworthy, and reflective of a brand that genuinely cares about its customers and communities.

The team at Coventry Building Society understood that it’s not just the consumers that need to care, it’s also the colleagues! They wanted to show the Executive team that not only are the public on board but so are colleagues.

We spent time inside both the Coventry Building Society and The Co-operative Bank head offices, capturing interviews with a range of staff members. We asked them to read the new Brand Purpose statement and to tell us what they thought of it. The colleagues described their thoughts as optimistic. Most people saw the Brand Purpose as a natural continuation of their values – they said it felt; inclusive, ambitious and authentic.

There was a real sense of excitement about the merger and what it could mean for customers, communities, and their own careers. It was clear that everyone was on board with the new Brand Purpose and looking forward to the future.

We created two final videos:

• 1 x Consumer Video – This focused on what the modern day consumer needs from their bank.

• 1 x Internal Colleague Video – This focused on the Brand Purpose and how each colleague felt about the wording and the meaning behind it.

The videos were used with the Board as a proof-point to the success of the new Brand Purpose, with colleagues and consumers on board.