Barclays hires credit card chief

Barclays has appointed John Laidlaw from sister company Barclaycard as its first brand and advertising director to oversee the bank’s new brand-led marketing approach.

Last week, Barclays appointed Leagas Delaney to its estimated 30m retail account (MW May 13), which is being restructured to accommodate its first brand-based campaign for six years.

Laidlaw took up his position the day before the agency’s appointment. He was previously Barclaycard’s head of communications and advertising, working on the Rowan Atkinson campaign.

He now reports to Alan Silverman, Barclays’ managing director for personal customers.

Laidlaw says: “I have been brought in to look at Barclays’ new customer-focused approach and to build communications around that. This will include working with the brand group at our headquarters in Lombard Street and looking at the delivery of the ad campaign.”

Prior to spending five years at Barclaycard, Laidlaw worked in marketing at Taunton Ciders, which has now been merged into Matthew Clark.

The new Leagas Delaney ad campaign is expected to break towards the end of the year, with all other advertising, including products, feeding from it.

Barclays recently unveiled a new corporate identity, created by branding agency Interbrand Newell & Sorrell, to help reposition the bank as customer friendly.