VocaLink runs payment systems at the heart of UK finance, processing over 90% of UK salaries and more than 70% of household bills, but after the 2007 merger of Voca and Link it lacked the cohesion and recognition to support its growth targets. Vivaldi Group defined a new brand strategy and frame of reference, and a hybrid branded house architecture with the master VocaLink brand above four sub-brands and two endorsed brands. The brand program won Marketing Campaign of the Year at the Payments Awards and became a building block of VocaLink's growth strategy.
Voca and Link had merged in 2007, but the new entity lacked the internal cohesion and external recognition to support its aggressive growth targets. VocaLink needed a strong, unified brand to pursue new business opportunities and handle the internal and external challenges left by the merger.
Vivaldi developed a brand strategy framework, a competitive positioning map and a brand dashboard, then resolved the brand architecture as a hybrid branded house: the master VocaLink brand above four sub-brands and two endorsed brands. An implementation roadmap and messaging strategy brought the brand to life.
The brand program won Marketing Campaign of the Year at the Payments Awards. The newly defined frame of reference became an essential building block in reframing VocaLink's growth strategy.
| Client | VocaLink |
|---|---|
| Industry | Financial services, payments infrastructure |
| Region | United Kingdom |
| Project start | 2014 |
| Scale | Over 11 billion transactions a year worth £6 trillion; systems behind nearly all of the UK’s 70,000 ATMs, BACS and Faster Payments |
| Vivaldi scope | Brand strategy framework, competitive positioning map, brand dashboard, brand architecture, implementation roadmap and messaging strategy |
| Architecture | Hybrid branded house: master VocaLink brand, four sub-brands, two endorsed brands |
| Recognition | Marketing Campaign of the Year, Payments Awards |
In the time it takes to read this sentence, VocaLink has completed over 1,000 financial transactions. As operator of the systems behind nearly all of the UK’s 70,000 ATMs and of the BACS and Faster Payments systems, it processes over 90% of UK salaries, more than 70% of household bills and almost all state benefits. In a single year it processed over 11 billion transactions with a value of £6 trillion.
Voca and Link had merged in 2007, but the combined company still lacked internal cohesion and external recognition. In 2014 VocaLink asked Vivaldi to define a brand architecture strategy that would position it as an innovator in a fast-changing market, make it more engaging for employees, investors and partners, and help it pursue new opportunities in big data and other adjacent fields.
Vivaldi worked in three steps: brand strategy, brand architecture and an implementation roadmap.
After an audit of the existing brand, competitors, customers and the wider market, Vivaldi developed a brand strategy framework, a competitive positioning map and a brand dashboard. The positioning was tested and refined in internal and external stakeholder workshops and interviews, and a new, broader frame of reference was defined to align the organization with its growth objectives in new markets and business lines.
The team then worked out how VocaLink could go to market with one brand architecture that would build awareness quickly, make its range of products and services clear and leave room for expansion, all within the strict regulation of financial services and a complex ecosystem of partners. After evaluating the architecture concepts set out in Brand Leadership, VocaLink settled on a hybrid branded house: the master VocaLink brand above four sub-brands and two endorsed brands. Vivaldi’s guide to hybrid branding explains how this model works.
Finally, Vivaldi created the implementation roadmap and a messaging strategy to bring the brand to life.
For the trade-offs between models, see Vivaldi’s comparison of house of brands and branded house.
VocaLink, which processes over 90% of UK salaries and more than 70% of household bills, engaged Vivaldi in 2014 to build a unified brand after the 2007 merger of Voca and Link. Vivaldi defined a new brand strategy and frame of reference and a hybrid branded house architecture, with the master VocaLink brand above four sub-brands and two endorsed brands. The brand program won Marketing Campaign of the Year at the Payments Awards and became a building block of VocaLink’s growth strategy.
VocaLink operates core UK payments infrastructure, including the BACS and Faster Payments systems and the systems behind nearly all of the UK’s 70,000 ATMs. It was formed by the 2007 merger of Voca and Link and processes over 11 billion transactions a year with a value of £6 trillion.
Vivaldi developed VocaLink’s brand strategy, defined a new frame of reference and resolved its brand architecture as a hybrid branded house, then built the implementation roadmap and messaging strategy. The brand program won Marketing Campaign of the Year at the Payments Awards.
A hybrid branded house, with the master VocaLink brand sitting above four sub-brands and two endorsed brands. It built awareness for one master brand while keeping room for distinct offers and partners.
Brands must work within strict regulatory limits and across a complex ecosystem of partners and associates. The architecture has to make the offer clear to customers without breaking those rules or confusing partner relationships.
The newly defined frame of reference widened how VocaLink saw its market, aligning the organization with growth in new markets and business lines. It became an essential building block in reframing the company’s growth strategy.
