The Virgin brand ranked as a Civil Branding ‘advocate’ in our latest survey (just below ‘hero’ status). Nationwide is also a Civil Branding ‘advocate’, The Co-operative is a ‘hero’, and we think that Virgin having a presence on the high street, as perhaps Virgin Bank, would present some great Civil Branding narratives.

There’s room for Virgin attitude on the high street. The scenario of Northern Rock metamorphosing into Virgin Bank looks quite pleasing and even symbolic of closing the loop on economic recovery given Northern Rock’s role. This symbol of recovery would play nicely to the Virgin narrative of ‘people’s hero in the pursuit of industry change’. It would also play to the ‘inclusive’ dimension of Civil Branding, bringing people in society together.

So what sort of brand communications would we like to see from Virgin Bank? In an earlier post about the Virgin brand we talked about how Virgin manages to sustain rebel status whilst being socially inclusive. So the ‘inclusive’ dimension is already in the bag. Having a topic that is seen as worth discussing by society (our ‘important’ metric) in the brand communication strategy, expressed in a way that starts meaningful conversations (our ‘influential’ metric) would provide all the essential ingredients of a socially-progressive campaign.

The M&S 125 year celebratory ad talks about how M&S has changed the way we do things: the way we eat, the way we dress, the way we treat our planet. People or companies that achieve progress have done so by getting a critical mass of people behind them. How do they get people behind them? Through effective communication of ideas and beliefs.

We have been speaking a little more about being a role model lately. The Co-operative has done it with their ‘Good for Everyone‘ campaign and Nationwide has done it by reminding people of their ethical heritage. Perhaps it is the new focus on ethics brought on by the financial crisis that is prompting brands well regarded in society to remind us about their progressive and ethical heritage.

M&S is ranked as a hero in the Civil Branding Index, which indicates that it is a leader in promoting progressive ideas toward a more civil society, and has a licence to demonstrate their heritage to society. As people are pointing out, this M&S ad is not dissimilar to the recent Sainsbury’s 140 year celebration. In the Civil Branding Index, Sainsbury’s is doing well, ranking as an advocate, but not yet a hero.

Count just how many times you hear the phrase ‘in these uncertain times’ and the consequent increase in ‘fear marketing’ devices that are flooding communications today. All marketing conversations need to be placed in the context of the day. Of course, the current economic downturn is highly relevant. So we thought it would be worth showing how a couple of brands are reacting to the context with a more positive spin that don’t exacerbate the current level of anxiety in society.

Nationwide London

Fiat Cars London