What are peoples thoughts on the comments from Ian Gibson MP regarding the Norwich Union name change? I thought he was a bit too negative - afterall NU went to Sheffield many years ago, York was due to a merger with CGU which was already based up there and more recently offshore to India etc. There have been plenty of opportunities to quit Norwich in the past. Marsh is still in Norwich. RBS took over Virgin and I didn't see much negative press about them shutting up and going to Edinburgh.
Does NU have a bad image locally? Has the closing of Pinebanks left a raw nerve?
I remember the logo change some years ago when I was working at Norwich Union
We were all called to a meeting where it was unveiled to a video clip and fanfare
There was an embarassed silence and a few giggles from us all as it was greeted as something schoolchildren could have envisaged, only much cheaper and with less hyperbole
The then Chairman was later heard to say he didnt think much of it either, but of course only in private.
The head of the marketing department soon moved on to other pastures
Perhaps this just might be the case again
Castanea wrote:Mind you, I thought the tongue in cheek logo that got sent round the office when they announced the New Dehli office was quite fetching and apt. They didn't think so and threatened dismissal to anyone that passed it on.
Maybe its similar to the logo that the goverment spent £14,000 on for the treasury dept some time ago.
Was quickly got rid of after the unveiling as everyone burst out laughing.
It was simply OGC joined together, which is ok until it is turned upright.
Frankly I don’t care what AVIVA call themselves. It’s a commercial decision that they needed to make.
The BBC however spening £500,000 renaming ‘News24’ to ‘ BBC News’ and adding some pulsating rings around the familiar globe to the opening titles of news programs in an utter waste of public money.
Whatever way you look at it, Norwich Union is a brand name, costing millions to build over a long time.
Many companies would give their eye teeth to have such a well known brand name, some as it seems couldn`t give a toss.........
Thats progress for you........by the way who the hell are Aviva anyway....?
Come on people, you all know why Norwich Union wants to change its name.
Its logo and name have become descriptive of business practice and values of little use to their continued development.
Obvious really.
Dream on
keithgerrard@gerrard24.freeserve.co.uk
Richard wrote: Maybe its similar to the logo that the goverment spent £14,000 on for the treasury dept some time ago. Was quickly got rid of after the unveiling as everyone burst out laughing. It was simply OGC joined together, which is ok until it is turned upright.
Thant wasn't so long back, it was only on The Register last week or so. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/04/22/ogc_logo/ ! Anyway, for a local connection, check out the comments page to the article - there is a very critical mention of the culture at the OGC offices in Norwich there. Can anyone back that up?
LMAO!
A few years ago (when I was living in Norfolk) I had a vehicle recovery policy with NU. I picked up a flint in my back tyre (during the beet campaign) managed to stop the bike without further damage and called Norwich Union:
Rupert: "I've got a puncture. I've run over a flint."
NU Man: "Oh, that's easy, we can fix that in no time." (He's no idiot! - He's seen a lighter and he knows exactly what a flint is)
Rupert: "Really? It's not a flint out of a yuppy lighter, this one's a bit like a prehistoric arrowhead and I can put my thumb in the hole in the tyre. Are you sure you can fix it 'just like that'?
NU man: "Err ... no. Where are you?"
Rupert: "Rocklands."
NU Man: "Where's that?"
Rupert: "Between Watton and Attleborough."
NU Man: "Where are they?"
Rupert: "Where are you? - You're Norwich Union, aren't you? Don't you know where places are in Norfolk?"
NU Man: "No, I don't ... where's Norfolk? - I'm in Brummigum." (Or somewhere like that ... I don't work for Birmingham Small Arms, so I don't need to know.)
Eventually, I managed to make this 'Norwich Union' man understand that I was on the B1077, a couple of miles outside Attleborough.
"Don't worry, Sir - We have a rescue vehicle on the way to recover you and you motorcycle."
2½ hours later, the recovery vehicle arrived. "Where have you been? " Asked I. "Sorry it's taken so long" said he "When they called me I was on the A14 in Northamptonshire."
I suppose 'Northamptonshire' is almost the same as 'Norfolk.'
You're worried that changing the name from NU might cost them sales?
I doubt it. Changing the name is (arguably) 'truth in advertising.' I had A VIVA once. Worst car I ever owned. - The boot rusted out.
I wouldn't buy another - nor would I buy anything from a company which named itself after a Viva.
runboy wrote:Rupert, that was because NU went into partnership, then bought, RAC, whoses call centre is in Birmingham. You should try telephoning their car insurance division now - through to India who can only deal with scripted answers - any slight deviation and they put you on hold, then cut you off. I did try to complain about this to NU but their complaints site wasn't working. Stroke of genious on their part!
When I worked for NU, we sometimes had need to call our collegues in Colegate (we were Rose Lane) and would dial an internal number, only to find ourselves speaking to someone in India. We started to dial 01603 numbers in case there was a blip and still got India!
Few people pay attention to the statements of Ian Gibson - he's little more than a rent-a-quote these days. He bacame increasingly humiliated, embittered and marginalised as his career failed to leave the launch pad whilst Charles Clarke's flourished and bloomed. A disappointed man.
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