National Deposit rebrands as National Friendly

National Deposit has announced that it is rebranding as National Friendly from next month.

The friendly society and private medical insurance provider said the name change reflects a new focus on building the healthcare side of the business, and better conveys the values of the company.

In particular, market research by the group found that the word ‘deposit’ makes a lot of people think of a bank - which has negative connotations since the credit crunch.

By contrast, the word ‘friendly’ was associated with the company’s softer values of caring, listening, and accessibility.

As well as the rebrand, the company will adopt a new strapline, ‘Making a difference to your future’.

A restructuring of the company, including three new senior appointments, is also taking place to ensure that all customers have access to a “comprehensive and value driven healthcare solution”.

New senior team members are Chris Meier, appointed as head of marketing and brand, Glen Hutchinson, who has joined the company as head of national sales, and Claire Templeton, appointed as head of ecommerce.

Commenting on the rebrand and restructuring, CEO Richard Sear said: “This is an exciting time for us, our 140 year heritage is extremely important to our customers but we needed to re-focus the direction of the company to answer the demands of today’s current and future members.

“The future of our business is healthcare, we are passionate about the health of our members and we want them to have access to affordable healthcare cover.

“Feedback from research groups and our members has assured us we are going in the right direction.”