In this sixth section of branding banks for shareholder value I want to discuss the measurement of brand perceptions. If we are to make a connection between perceptions of brand and shareholder value it is necessary to measure both. In this section, I want to cover:  the relationship between customer satisfaction and customers‟ perceptions of brand;  measuring customer satisfaction;  perceptions of customer satisfaction as it has been measured in three academic studies of personal finance markets;  my findings about what customer perceptions seem to make a difference to satisfaction and brand image in business markets;  the issue of multiple brand audiences;  The way forward, as I see it, in getting a better handle on how bank brands are perceived.

In this section, I pursue four lines of thought:  Branding banks is at the extreme end of difficulty along the spectrum of all brands.  The standard tools and mindset we use in thinking about brands have to be rethought for the banking sector.  Because brands are so valuable to banks (as I argue in the previous section) and because achieving a good brand is so difficult the ability to be able to do so is a significant source of sustainable competitive advantage.  A first step to surmounting the challenges is to have a profound understanding of them and their causes. Banks which try to manage their brands as if they were Coca Cola are not going to win.

This is the fourth in series of discussion drafts in which I attempt to trace the path from customer perceptions to shareholder value. This section deals with what sorts of advantages a bank can hope to get through good management of its brand. We shall see in the next section that branding banks is at the extreme end of difficulty among the spectrum of all brands. Indeed it is pertinent to ask, why invest heavily in branding at all? And, are there banks that don‟t bother too much to do so?

This is the third in series of discussion drafts in which I attempt to trace the path from customer perceptions to shareholder value. This section deals with understanding how customer perceptions develop. This understanding is crucial if banks are to have influence over how customers and non-customers think of their brands. Section 1.0 contains the general introduction to this series of papers.

This is the second in series of discussion drafts in which I attempt to trace the path from customer perceptions to shareholder value. The first covers shareholder value as a goal of the system and the analysis framework I use. This section deals with understanding customer segments.

In this section, I have tried to set out a framework within which I can explore the path from customer perceptions to shareholder value using some of the conceptual tools I shall deploy in subsequent sections. My goal for the system dynamics model I shall design is shareholder value. I shall explore the complex interplay between customer experience and brand. QFD and Gaps analysis will have key roles in understanding cause and effect within the system.

Yesterdays problem or today’s issue How Intermediaries can play their part?

In recent months there have been more encouraging signals on house prices. As is normal at this stage of the cycle the reported data is both volatile and variable making a proper assessment fraught with difficulties. We know that actual house purchase and mortgage volumes remain subdued and more importantly constitute a very different mix of transactions compared to 12 or 18 months ago.

The events of the last two years have put economic models and model performance in the spotlight in both academic and policy circles. Serious questions are being asked about how well economic models have coped with the deep recession and the structural and policy shifts we have all experienced in recent years. Academic research highlights that at times of significant change the structural parameters in major economic relationships tend to shift and this requires careful handling.

The increased emphasis on extreme stress testing and risk information has put many organisations in a spin. Keeping track of the latest stress tests and the base data used to produce the results is no easy feat and making the most of the results for your business is even harder. In many cases the process of stress testing and running of scenarios has become rather mechanical and somewhat distant from matters of direct importance to customers. Risk managers and economists really enjoy the process but what is it in for the customer and for the bank in the longer term.