25/06/2009 - HSBC tops best British brands poll

Despite the appalling year for banks generally, 9 banks still make it into the Marketing Society’s top 50 Brands of British origin listing

The multi sector brand parade covering all sectors, and featuring an A to Z spectrum of well known favourites, ascribes each individual brand a value, and it is this that determines the rankings.

Examination of the full list shows a clear divide of banks featured, between those tainted by the crisis and those who have risen above it. In the top 25 one finds HSBC, Barclays and Standard Chartered all International in aspect and endeavour.

In the bottom half, in reverse order, are, Bank of Scotland, Scottish Widows Bank, Nat West, Halifax, RBS and Lloyds TSB. A collection of UK oriented banks affected by the health of the deflating property market.

Looking at the year of origin it was interesting to note that Barclays, established in 1690, and the Bank of Scotland, 1695, are the two oldest surviving brands. Perhaps there is something of a clue there in waiting for better times!

At a time when trust and security are given by consumers as the most important attributes when selecting their financial services providers, it will be interesting to see what brand positionings the lesser brands adopt in their quest for market share and profits.

Full details on the brand rankings can be found in Marketing Week.

Who are Mapa?
Mapa are an independent research consultancy that provides retail financial services clients with a wide range competitor monitoring services, focusing on the online and mobile channels.  If you would like to find out more email mark@mapa-uk.com 

Subscribe to our newsfeed