I got an email from Virgin Money telling me they were being folded into Nationwide. The message was clear about what’s happening, when, why it matters, and what I need to do. Nothing dramatic, nothing fluffy, just straightforward communication on the front foot.
I shared it with Julie as an example of best practice. She replied with another email, this time from NatWest, explaining how her Sainsbury’s Bank loan account was being moved across. Same story. Same clarity. Same confidence.
Two different banks. Two different situations. The same approach.
Treat the customer like a grown-up. Tell them what’s changing and what’s not. Remove the fear before it has a chance to grow.
This is where B2C is miles ahead of B2B.
Banks do this because they have to. Huge customer bases, regulated environments, and a lot at stake. But they also do it because they understand something simple. In moments of change, people pay attention. That makes these moments powerful.
Most B2B brands don’t treat them that way.
When a B2B company rebrands, restructures, merges, acquires, or shifts its offer, communication is often treated like an admin task. A tick-box exercise. Something “comms” or “marketing” will tidy up after the fact. The internal work takes over, the deadlines slip, and by the time customers hear anything, it’s usually rushed, defensive, or vague.
And that’s a waste.
Because when a business is going through change, the change itself becomes the marketing.
Look at the banks’ behaviour.
Virgin Money spells out the court date, the transfer date, what stays the same, how to object, how FSCS protection works, what the next steps are, and what to expect. It anticipates questions before the customer has them. It even warns about fraudsters taking advantage of the situation.
NatWest is the same. Dates, downtime, what will and won’t be available, what to download, how Direct Debits will be handled, what support is in place, and what to do if you need extra help. No drama. No panic. No mixed messages.
Clear. Calm. Reassuring.
That’s called leadership. And in a moment of change, leadership builds trust faster than anything else.
B2B brands rarely behave like this, even though the stakes are just as high. In many cases, the stakes are higher. When you’re selling multi-year contracts, technical systems, and long-term partnerships, showing confidence through change should be a basic requirement.
Instead, most companies go quiet.
Or worse, they pretend the change is so small it’s not worth talking about.
That silence creates anxiety, confusion, and speculation. All avoidable.
If you’re going through a brand change, here’s the truth.
How you explain the change shapes how people judge your brand.
- It signals how organised you are.
- It signals how well you know your customers.
- It signals whether you’re thinking about impact, not just operations.
- It signals whether you’re in control.
You can get a positive halo from these moments if you lean into them. Treat the communication as part of the brand, not a leftover from the project. A chance to show clarity, conviction, and confidence.
The banks get this.
B2B brands need to catch up.
So if your business is about to take customers through a change, ask yourself a simple question.
Will your communication build trust, or erode it? That answer tells you everything about how seriously you’re taking your brand.