Monmouthshire Building Society
Monmouthshire: a brand presence to match a national ambition
How we gave a community building society the presence to match its plans for long-term growth.
The challenge
Monmouthshire Building Society had a ten-year plan to become a top ten building society in the UK. The ambition was real, but the brand wasn’t ready for it.
The mutual is well known and respected in Southeast Wales, especially among older savers. But as it expands across the UK, it is on a mission to achieve nationwide recognition, with a stronger story and presence.
Part of that means standing out in a market full of homogenous messaging which often doesn’t resonate with people. Building societies have something genuinely different to offer compared with banks – putting customer value over corporate profit margin – but often struggle to convey this message.
Monmouthshire asked Folk to create an insight-led brand foundation that honours its long-established mutual roots, while setting a confident, credible course for national relevance and long-term growth.
The challenge wasn’t to reinvent Monmouthshire: it was to articulate what had always made them different and make it impossible to miss.
Our approach
To ensure our brand approach was rooted in real insights, we surveyed 50 people across the UK who represented Monmouthshire’s target consumer segment audiences. We also analysed competitors and reviewed 70+ industry reports and briefings.
Through this process, we found that when choosing a financial services provider, people remember who showed up, not headline rates. While people didn’t understand mutuality, they do care about the values it represents: fairness, respect, community and reassurance.
That became the foundation for Built to Show Up, a brand platform built around presence, serving building society members, as well a mortgage broker audience.
We would put customers in control, not just as users, but as part of something. We would also create a sense of belonging, voice, and shared benefit – powerful in a sector where most people feel powerless.
We wouldn’t explain mutuality, but we would show what it delivers: better rates, better service, community support. This speaks to values-driven customers who want their money to mean more. And in a world of chatbots and hold music, we would highlight how Monmouthshire’s real personal service builds trust, loyalty, and advocacy.
To bring it to life, we built a visual world around the brand’s distinctive orange brand colouring as a beacon of light, a metaphor for showing up, with bespoke photography. Alongside it, were campaign concepts, copy, tone of voice guidelines and a full channel strategy, showing how Built to Show Up could work everywhere from OOH to CRM.
The results
The work gave Monmouthshire more than a refreshed identity. It gave them a credible, distinctive platform to grow from and the tools to bring it to life at every touchpoint.
“Evolving a brand takes deep collaboration, and that’s exactly what we found with The Folk Group. They worked closely with us to begin shaping our brand strategy, then brought it to life through a bespoke brand photoshoot designed to evolve our visual language.
“From the first conversations through to the live set, the team were collaborative, adaptable and genuinely receptive to our ideas. They took our concepts and elevated them into a high-quality photography library that feels authentic, distinctive and true to our brand.
“Folk are a brilliant creative partner for any brand looking to tell a compelling visual story.”
Abbie Williams, Creative Lead, Monmouthshire Building Society
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