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Just as Martins’ advertising changes radically from
the early 1960s onwards, so too does the style and content of the leaflets
and guides it publishes for customers.
We look at the changing face of cheques and other bank slips in our CUSTOMER
STATIONERY section, and at the move to a
modern hi-tech facility for printing it all at STATIONERY DEPARTMENT. Here though, we take a
brief look at some examples of the leaflets and guides from the 1950s and
60s, many of which are also shown elsewhere on the site as part of other
features. |
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1957: The Treaty of Rome |
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It is a good example of the
department’s thoroughness, dealing with nine different topics about the
Common Market, and providing a number of statistics regarding population
sizes, national incomes and industrial production details for the six common
market countries, the UK and the USSR. The following statement appears on the back
of the leaflet, and on many of the other special guides produced by the bank: “The Information Department will be pleased to
receive through the manager of any branch of the Bank, enquiries of an
economic, industrial or commercial nature, concerning the United Kingdom, the
Common Market or other countries overseas…” We wonder just how many times
the KGB wrote for information… |
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1960: Wish you were
here… |
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Martins’ Show and
Exhibition Branches Department looks after the fleet of Mobile Branches,
which together attend around seventy shows and agricultural events in the UK each
year. This post card is one of a
set featuring different images of the mobile branches, and is used to invite
visitors to shows, and important local business people to visit the mobile
branch and see what Martins Bank is all about. |
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1959-1969: Not just holiday money… |
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1959: The future is here - today! |
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When you are at the
forefront of innovation and new technology, you want people to know about it,
so Martins produced these customer leaflets to help customers understand two
wonderful new developments: “Martins
Drive-In Bank” gives practical advice on using the special counter and
getting the best out of this new way to bank.
“Pegasus” explains just how your details will be handled by the
amazing new computer that is the first to offer current account data
processing. |
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1959: An Account at Martins Bank |
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What we know today as “products” were just about finding their feet in
1959 – Housewives were enticed by the image of a cheque produced from a
handbag, it was easy to open a banking account, and personal loans were newly
“packaged” too… |
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1968/9: Co-Ordinated Campaign |
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Our final set of examples of Martins leaflets is from the “Martins go to
extremes to be helpful” period, a year or so before the takeover. Sadly, the Liver
Bird has been dropped from all promotional material by this point, and the
grasshopper is left to fly the flag as Martins final days tick by. It is hard to imagine that in the apparently
enlightened 1960s, millions of Britons still didn’t have, or more importantly
didn’t trust a bank account. As the full power of branding and marketing hit the
banks, they in turn hit the public with advertising campaigns and leaflets designed to woo even the
most “cash only” individual, that putting that cash in a bank didn’t just
bring safety, and perhaps a bit of interest.
No, having a bank account was responsible – you owed
it to your family to have your financial affairs safe and in order. Having a bank account was practical - you
could start one with only a small amount of money. Having a bank account was, perhaps most of
all, a source of that great 60s commodity – FREEDOM. The new CHEQUE GUARANTEE CARDS made your account portable,
and with payment by cheque now AUTOMATED, fledgling CASH MACHINES appearing on street
corners, and the newly created direct debits and credit cards making it easy
to spend, borrow, obtain cash AND make payments quickly and safely, freedom
and a bank account went together very well indeed. “How a bank account could help you” (right) is one
of a number of leaflets that Martins has put together in 1968 to show just
how easy it all is, clever use of an “all walks of life” gallery helping to
widen the appeal of a bank account. As for the two stunning colour examples below, (if
you discount the appalling fashions and furnishings in “Everyone Needs a Bank
Account), these leaflets look almost as if they were produced yesterday, or
perhaps the day before that… |
Image
– Barclays Group archive: Ref A70 (retouched) |
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Image
© Barclays Ref A69 (retouched) |
Image
© Barclays Ref A70 (retouched) |
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There is a further colour example of a leaflet for students on our LANCASTER
UNIVERSITY page. |
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For
your information… |
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It is easy to forget that
our branches themselves - along with the staff that work in them - are all advertisements
for the Bank, at at Martins our staff always go to extremes to be
helpful. However, we do also have one
more method of letting customers know about our services and any special
events that might occur, and that is through in-branch displays. |
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Official Notices, counter displays, helpful leaflets and Counter Plaques to remind you of those vital services… Images: Martins Bank Archive |
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That’s it
from our editorial and advertising department for now, if you have any images
to contribute to the archive, please send them to the usual address: gutinfo@btinternet.com . |
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© gut informiert! 2007 to date |
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