The United Kingdom voted for an exit (Brexit) from the European Union in June 2016. Three years of indecision and austerity had undermined the national mood, creating a sense of introspection and self-reliance.

In a country which was increasingly experiencing anti-international sentiment, HSBC, one of the world’s largest financial institutions, was suffering. They were seen locally as a bank for wealthy foreigners. We needed to reframe HSBC’s internationalism to make it feel meaningful and relevant to the UK: making ‘global’ less about geography and more about values.

With HSBC’s brand platform ‘Together we thrive’ we piggybacked the Brexit conversation and shared the bank’s belief that people, communities and businesses always thrive more when they’re connected to something bigger.

Pointing out how many of the things that make us quintessentially British are the things that connect us internationally. And that the key to everyone thriving is staying connected to the world.

The creative leap was born from the strategic pov and brand belief:

The UK’s people, communities and businesses will always thrive more when connected to something bigger than themselves.

Proving we were committed to the nation and not ‘the bank for wealthy foreigners’ demanded a bold articulation of the strategy. We needed to remind the nation that Britain thrives when connected and open to the world.

So we directly addressed Explorer’s deepest fear – that Brexit was going to isolate the UK; that Britain was regressing to being ‘a little island’.

THE IDEA:

We are not an island.

We are part of something far, far bigger.

Together we thrive.

We pointed out that many of the things that make us quintessentially British are the things that connect us internationally. And that the key to everyone thriving is staying connected to the world.

Research with YouGov helped identify our core segments, covering 60% of the population. Despite differences, they were similar in mindset: the Explorer archetype; naturally curious, open-minded, restless, and keen to explore their own definitions of what it means to thrive even in the face of challenging circumstances.

Meanwhile, surrounded by Brexit and years of austerity, our ‘explorers’ felt that to thrive in times of uncertainty, we needed to remain connected to the world, not nationalistic in outlook. Open to all, not reliant on past truths. Building bridges, not walls.

Our Key Insight:

“The world feels like it’s regressing and shutting itself off, but I want to stay open to the possibilities and opportunities the world has to offer.”

HSBC, deeply rooted in the UK with a unique gateway to the world, was uniquely placed to answer this tension. We had an opportunity to reframe our internationalism to make it feel meaningful and relevant to the UK: redefining international through values, not geography.

It’s a sentiment true to HSBC’s history as the bank founded to link Asia to Europe, and it lives on today in our values of being open, connected and dependable.

To established HBSC UK’s point of view that we’re better and stronger when we’re together, our copy pointed out how the things that make us quintessentially British (our love for Swedish flat-pack furniture – 1 in 5 UK children have been conceived in an IKEA bed, our worship of foreign footballers, even our daily cup of tea comes from far off lands) are the things that inescapably connect us internationally.

But like any good relationship it’s not a one-sided affair. The UK has also helped the world thrive – from music (the Beatles, Queen & Oasis), literature (Shakespeare, Harry Potter, & The Lord of the Rings) to inventions (ultrasound, photography, antibiotics) to name but a few. So we wrote tailored executions for towns and cities across the UK, instilling a sense of pride and reminding their communities how being globally connected has helped everyone thrive.

Few brands in the industry are used as shorthand for brave creative work: Nike, Apple, KFC. Creative bravery often feels possible only for brands that have an established reputation for doing such work (or for those who can afford to “waste” money on risky experiments). For many, doing brave work doesn’t feel like a feasible option.

But we showed that being brave at scale doesn’t require a thirty-year legacy of boundary-pushing creative, nor does it necessitate sacrificing effectiveness and results in the name of experimentation. You just need to discover your true voice, unearth the idea that your brand believes in, and fight for it.

Entering the cultural conversation and inviting controversy can feel like a dangerous move – but playing it safe was even more dangerous. This was a strategy that set out to reinvigorate a brand, not with a single campaign – but an entire shift of how