Views, news and musings

Most financial services brands aren’t forgotten because their products are poor. They’re forgotten because they’ve given people nothing distinctive to remember. A memorable financial services brand builds trust and positive associations long before the buying moment, through human insight, distinctive assets, consistency and proof. Here’s what that takes, with examples from our work.

Financial services brands often blur into the same navy blue, handshake imagery and “trusted partner” language. But trust is a hygiene factor, not a differentiator. This post explores financial services brand differentiation: how to find the human truth only your brand can own, and turn it into memory, meaning and preference.

AI will make financial services marketing faster. But more content doesn’t equal a stronger brand. If every lender and building society uses the same tools trained on the same category language, the sector’s sameness problem only gets worse. Here’s how to use AI without losing the human voice that makes you worth choosing.

Your brokers like you. But can they explain why? In a crowded panel, vague goodwill isn’t enough to win the business. We look at why broker-facing insurance brands struggle to stand out, and how to give intermediaries a story they can understand, remember and repeat to their clients.

You’ve defined your fair value. You’ve workshopped the frameworks. So why is it still trapped inside a governance document? Here’s how to release it, in language customers, brokers and advisers actually use.

Most insurance firms have done the Consumer Duty work. The frameworks are in place. The regulator is satisfied. But something more interesting happened along the way — and most firms haven’t noticed yet. Buried inside that compliance documentation is the best brand brief the sector has ever seen.

mark-making* has completed its first B Corp recertification with a score of 113.2. Our MD Steve Turner reflects on a challenging three years, what the process actually involves, and why the score is only part of the story.

Our 2023–24 Impact Report is an honest reflection on resilience, learning, and what we’re building for the future. Impact isn’t always linear.

Armed with hiking boots and empty bellies, the mark-makers set off to “walk the walk” for our belated summer social. The day started at FarmEd, a pioneering regenerative farm , before a trek back to Chippy that took us right through Diddly Squat Farm. It was a fantastic afternoon of sustainable food, scenic views, and wandering conversations.

Stop, look, listen before you click. Steve argues cyber security needs a human-centred national campaign, making online safety as memorable as the Green Cross Code Man’s road safety lessons.

“I worry that B2B marketing is a glorified extension of the sales team. That’s not where the value is.” Rory …Read More

Celebrating our 30th anniversary with a third British Bank Awards win feels like more than recognition. It’s proof that consistency, creativity and genuine partnership aren’t just buzzwords – they’re what keep us thriving in financial services.