Goodbye then, Norwich Union

Andrew Moss, Chief Executive of Norwich Union, has written to me. Not to me alone, you'll understand. Quite probably to you, too, if Norwich Union provides you with insurance, or a pension, or life assurance or any other kind of financial services package.

Andrew wants me to know that the Norwich Union brandname is about to disappear for ever, to be replaced by the globally-inoffensive 'Aviva'.

Andrew is very keen, in a rather well drafted letter, to make sure I understand that he and his colleagues don't think that they like ditching Norwich Union. He's respectful and affectionate about the brand he's discarding after 212 years. But he wants me to understand that Aviva, which is the name created in 2000 to wrap together Norwich Union, Commercial Union and General Accident (all once proud brand names on the UK financial services landscape), now operates in 27 countries, serving 45 million customers.

Now I understand that many of these 45 million customers don't know what Norwich Union is, have no idea about why a company would be called that, and will find it as impossible to be confused by the meaningless and unmemorable Aviva as I. Indeed, for them, Aviva is probably preferable.

Not for me, however. When I was first making enough to invest a few pounds each month, I did it with Norwich Union, and a decade later they served me up a surprisingly handsome return.

2 piffling little bits of the protection on my mortgage, now drawing towards their long-time-coming maturity, are with Norwich Union.

And once, many years ago, Norwich Union was my client, with its marketing Director who left work early every Wednesday to play village cricket. We made 2 fine tv commercials together for his brand, all about planning for life's ups and downs, and I'm as proud of them today as I was in 1991.

So goodbye, Norwich Union. In an age of brand names designed to mean nothing, the work of genius branding consultancies who can ensure that the name you are considering does not mean 'Your Mother Is A Tinkers' Whore' in Ecuador, and that its domain may yet be secured in 50 different territories, I for one will miss warm, competent, secure, stable, friendly Norwich Union.

Ours has been a partnership; something all brands crave, yet so few achieve.

Comments

[Mike Minh]

What does it matter to be recognised globally? They won't sell a single policy more, just because I know that they aim for world domination. Quite the opposite in fact.

[Russell]

Funny how the Hongkong & Shanghai Banking Corporation has no such problem with global recognition.