LLOYDS BANK - FOR YOUR NEXT STEP
IN 2016, LLOYDS BANK LAUNCHED A NEW TV ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN WHICH DEMONSTRATED HOW IT GIVES CUSTOMERS FINANCIAL CONFIDENCE TO TAKE THE NEXT STEPS IN THEIR LIVES
It followed on from last year’s 250 anniversary campaign and continued to feature the iconic black horse as well as introducing a new strapline, “For your next step.” Central to the new campaign was a 60-second film depicting real life scenarios such as marriage, a funeral, or a child’s first day of school. Shot in super slow motion, the horse was seen galloping through the different scenarios as they unfolded.
One of those scenarios was a male couple celebrating their engagement. Lloyds Banking Group (of which Lloyds Bank is a part) has long been committed to supporting the LGBT community. It was the first financial services company in the UK to feature a same-sex couple in an advert in 2010.
Catherine Kehoe, Managing Director - Group Brands and Marketing - said at the time: “The new campaign builds on the phenomenal success of the 250th anniversary campaign, showing how we’ll always be by our customers’ side, giving them the financial confidence to take their next step. We’ve adopted a contemporary and distinctive approach, focusing on the diverse and sometimes challenging moments in the lives of our customers today.”
This overt support of the LGBT community became a beacon for customers and colleagues during 2016 and into 2017 as Lloyds Banking Group continued to build its reputation as an LGBT employer of choice. The Group has stood firm in its commitment to support, not just the LGBT community, but all customers, whoever they are and whatever hand life deals them.
“We had hoped that the campaign would resonate with our LGBT colleagues and
customers, but we had no idea that it would get such a positive reception from both the LGBT and non-LGBT communities,” Shane Dickinson, Customer Advocacy Director of the Group’s LGBT colleague network, Rainbow, said.
“The Group has always had a very supportive stance in regard to the LGBT community, but this campaign took that to the next level. Both customers and colleagues within the LGBT community have been incredibly complimentary about the campaign” he continues, “and I was incredibly proud to see it all over the country”.
The campaign formed part of the evidence that Lloyds Banking Group submitted as part of the Stonewall Workplace Index, in which the Group took the top spot in January as the Top Employer in the English, Welsh and Scottish indices. In addition, the Group supported nine Pride events across the UK in 2016 (adding four more events to the 2015 tally), in which over 1000 colleagues took part, some marching with the “He Said Yes” banner flying proudly.
“There is a small army of people who give their time and expertise, on top of their day to day roles, to support what Rainbow, our colleague network, does. Organising the Pride events is a massive undertaking and we couldn’t do it without all our colleagues’ support and our senior leaders’ backing,” Dickinson goes on to say.
Karin Cook, Group Director, Group Operations and Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity executive sponsor said: “We are delighted to be recognised as Stonewall’s top UK employer for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender colleagues. I am personally very proud of the genuine commitment I have seen in so many colleagues around the country to make Lloyds Banking Group a place where everyone can bring their whole self to work – this award isn’t just for the Group, it’s for our colleagues and all they have done.
“It’s my aim to ensure Lloyds Banking Group provides an inclusive environment for all our colleagues and customers and this award is confirmation we’re on the right track to achieve this.”
“Organising the Pride events is a massive undertaking and we couldn’t do it without all our colleagues’ support and our senior leaders’ backing”