Today sees the long anticipated launch of Barclays Wealth, the re-branding and aggregating of Barclay’s wealth management businesses. An ...

Today sees the long anticipated launch of Barclays Wealth, the re-branding and aggregating of Barclay’s wealth management businesses. An advertising campaign with the strap “Wealth – What’s It To You?” starts this week to herald the UK-based group’s new consolidated approach to wealth management that will range from its Premier banking offering to ultra high net worth individuals within its private bank, and will include financial planning clients and clients of the offshore private bank. Establish brands such as Gerrards and Barclays Stockbrokers will be encompassed within the Barclays Wealth branding and will disappear over time. The advertising will revolve around themes such as time being more important than money, money bringing independence and money giving retirees the freedom to behave as teenagers. With Barclays Wealth, the bank is keen to replicate the success seen at both Barclays Capital and Barclays Global Investors. Barclays group have agreed to re-commit £125 million per year to grow Barclays Wealth and ensure that the offering matches those of the major international players, who commentators have singled out as being the major future beneficiaries of the rise of global wealth management. “Marketing like this works best at the lower levels,” Ian Ewart, global head of communications at Barclays Wealth told WealthBriefing. “Further up the wealth tree word of mouth and personal relationships become more important,” he said. Barclays Wealth has also announced a new series of research white papers that will be published in conjunction with the Economist Intelligence Unit. The research will look at, amongst other subjects, attitudes towards wealth, women and wealth and wealth and the family. Alongside the branding exercise Barclays Wealth is focusing on talent management from the recruitment process through top grading and concentration on “A players” and retention strategies. “We want to give employees that ‘cocktail moment’ when they’re proud to be introduced as working for Barclays Wealth,” said Mr Ewart.