Make money simpler
Banking without the BS
Role
Strategy Director at Output
Client
Zempler Bank, formerly known as Cashplus
Industry
Finance, Technology
Scope
Brand Positioning | Brand Strategy
Date
2024
Credit
Brand Identity by Output
Naming by Reed Words
Zempler, formerly Cashplus, serves as a financial lifeline for Britain's solo entrepreneurs, micro-businesses, and small enterprises—the backbone of the UK economy.
Despite this vital role, the challenger bank faced a critical brand challenge: how to compete against aggressive competitors in a fiercely contested market while shedding the baggage of its previous identity.
The company needed more than a rebrand; it required a complete strategic repositioning that would resonate with self-starters who felt abandoned by traditional banking and establish Zempler as the definitive choice for ambitious small businesses navigating an increasingly complex financial landscape.
The Insight
The UK's self-starters found themselves caught in a banking no-man's land—trapped between personal accounts that couldn't handle their business ambitions and corporate accounts that buried them in complexity and costs.
Through deep customer research, we uncovered a fundamental truth: these entrepreneurs didn't want to be treated like corporate giants or dismissed as hobbyists. They craved what we termed “Savvy Simplicity"—a banking partner that understood their unique position and could match their business acumen with straightforward, intelligent solutions. This insight revealed that the real opportunity wasn't in competing on features alone, but in becoming the bank that truly "gets" the small business mindset.
The Strategy
We positioned Zempler around the core brand idea of "Savvy Simplicity," establishing the bank as the financial partner with deep industry knowledge and customer understanding.
The strategy centred on making business finance complexity disappear without dumbing down the service—acknowledging that small business owners are sophisticated operators who simply want banking that works as hard as they do.
Brand Identity
Working alongside Reed Words and Studio Output, we developed a complete rebrand including a new name and identity system designed to build market visibility, create emotional connection with SME owners, and rally internal teams around a brand they could champion with pride.
Messaging framework
The messaging framework balanced emotional resonance with conversion-focused copy, ensuring the brand could both inspire and activate key audiences.
Also leading a Digital Experience Plan with the client team to help translate the brand to online. Case study coming soon.
Above is the top level structure of our messaging framework, and below are a few expressions of this across the current website proving that a clear messaging framework can act as an effective tool to guide conversion copy as well as more emotive brand campaigns.
Tone of voice
A bank that talks people’s language. We focus on talking about how choosing a good bank can help you start and run a small (but mighty) business in the UK.
Expressed in a way customers can understand. We choose words that resonates and clearly demonstrates the ways in which we support them.
Above is the Tone of Voice work in progress document developed in collaboration with the wonderful Lucy Henshaw. And below is the current expression of our work on the homepage of the website.
The Impact
The rebrand delivered measurable business transformation: Zempler Bank reported record revenues and £3.3m pre-tax profit following the launch.
More importantly, the brand achieved its emotional connection goals, with customers like Mia from Leeds describing Zempler as a "trusted partner" and praising the bank's trustworthiness and immediate customer service response. Along with 93% of customers said that they’d be happy to recommend Zempler to a friend in the Finder Customer Satisfaction Awards 2025.
