Is mutuality enough to get your brand talked about, and how can your marketing highlight this? The benefits of mutuality have traditionally been enough to keep building societies strong against their banking competitors. As the market moves to favour digitally-optimised brands and services, is the concept strong enough to keep customers attached to your brand, and can marketers find innovative new ways to highlight the benefits of banking with a mutual?

In this case study session, Marcus Buck of Saffron Building Society will show us how the company embedded mutuality into their brand, why, and the impact this has had for them as a business. 

As traditional and challenger banks alike lure customers in with a dizzying array of digital products, can building societies modernise for today’s digital world and still keep true to their heritage roots? How can marketers overcome the challenges of a digital transformation and update the fixtures without damaging the foundations, and how far should building societies go in the pursuit of modernising their offerings to consumers?

In this case study example, Nottingham Building Society will explore how they updated their brand without sacrificing on their brand promises, historical origins, or ties to their region.

In this presentation, Katie Wise (BSA) and Paul Irwin (Studio Certain) explore how building societies can leverage mutuality—authenticity, transparency, and community purpose—to stand out in today’s brand landscape. Drawing on research and insights into shifting consumer values, especially among younger audiences, they reveal how Studio Certain’s 250th anniversary campaign for the BSA reframed mutuals for modern relevance. The talk also highlights how building societies can innovate without compromising their identity, ensuring technology enhances rather than replaces human connection.