The Co-operative Bank has rolled out a nationwide brand campaign designed to appeal to organisations that place ethics, purpose and long-term impact at the centre of their decision-making.
The campaign, ‘Bank like you do business’, was developed with creative agency Dinosaur and centres on the idea that businesses should expect the same principles from their bank as they apply to their own operations.
It calls on organisations to think more critically about where their money sits and the influence it can have beyond the balance sheet.
Rather than using actors or hypothetical case studies, the campaign puts real customers at the forefront. Groups including Friends of the Earth and The Social Change Nest appear across the creative, sharing their experiences of working with a bank whose ethical stance aligns with their own missions.
A series of bold, declarative statements form the backbone of the campaign, directly addressing issues such as climate change, deforestation and support for grassroots organisations.
Messages including “We have no business in deforestation. Neither does our Bank” and “We don’t want our money bankrolling climate change. Neither does our Bank” are used to contrast The Co-operative Bank’s approach with more traditional banking models.
Its arrival coincides with growing global debate around the social and environmental power of capital, an issue that featured heavily at this year’s recent World Economic Forum in Davos, where business leaders and policymakers focused on responsible investment and sustainable growth.
This is the also bank’s first major brand activity since joining Coventry Building Society and marks a renewed push to raise its profile nationally among charities, social enterprises and values-driven organisations.