Every brand has a killer application

It’s the touchpoint that encapsulates what we love about the brand. For companies that make things, it’s usually the product. The sensation that comes from the intersection of form and function. The feel of a beautifully crafted object in our hands. The delight we get from a lovely piece of packaging. The associations triggered by a familiar aroma or taste.

Services have feelings too

For companies that do things, it’s much harder to create that kind of connection. The likes of RAC and Pimlico Plumbers have vehicles to carry the brand. But few other service providers have such visible touchpoints, especially as digital interactions replace personal contact. Which is why much of the work we do for financial services clients is about creating a more emotional relationship with the brand. That starts with brand strategy and visual identity and is typically carried through media like advertising and film.

Who wants an Apple Card?

Will we ever love a bank, insurer or financial technology company the way we love a brand like Apple? Now Apple has made the move into financial services with the Apple Card, we’re about to find out. Can the company that sets the standard for digital products do the same for financial services?

As ever, Apple surprises. Issuing Apple Card customers with an actual card seems counterintuitive, even if it is a card unlike any other. But Apple expects its customers will enjoy the look and the feel of laser-etched titanium. This card is also designed to be a talking point that creates buzz, desire and envy too. It may appear traditional, especially with a veteran institution like Goldman Sachs behind it, but the Apple Card is still authentically Apple.

Handled with care

Apple has realised that the digitalisation of financial services is making the card more important to customers, not less. Let’s not forget this industry is about money and that’s a deeply personal topic. The card has a reassuring solidity. Even if we only ever see it on our home screen, it reminds us who we trust with our hard-earned cash. And Apple is not the only digital financial services brand to grasp this. Monzo’s glowstick card is instantly recognisable. Other fintechs are going for bold with their card and app design too.

Keep it real, all the way

It’s great to see financial services brands taking visual identity so seriously. Yet brand has to go deeper than optics. Product or service, it’s positive customer experience that builds brand loyalty. This must be consistent across every single touchpoint, including the boring ones. As the likes of Amex and First Direct demonstrate year after year, details matter. A super stylish card may get our attention but we only stay because all the nuts and bolts behind it work properly too. That requires a joined-up approach to design that includes the website and app, customer communication and employee engagement.