At Vested’s latest breakfast panel, senior leaders from across financial services came together to tackle a challenge facing much of the industry today – how do brands stand out in a market shaped by regulation, risk aversion and increasing sameness?

Joining the discussion were Jasper Martens, PensionBee, Alanna Nensel, Janus Henderson, Conor Richards, FSCS and Vanessa Bowen, Orbis moderated by Paul Dalton-Borge, Vested.

Across the conversation, one theme emerged: differentiation in financial services is rarely about simply looking different. It comes from clarity, consistency and being relentlessly aligned to what a brand genuinely delivers.

Differentiation starts with conviction

While regulation inevitably creates certain constraints, the panel agreed that many firms contribute to the sameness themselves through cautious decision-making, generic messaging and overreliance on category norms.

Vanessa, highlighted the importance of staying focused on what truly makes a business distinctive, rather than trying to appeal to everyone. At Orbis, that means maintaining a clear long-term philosophy and resisting short-term changes unless there is a meaningful reason to evolve.

The discussion also reinforced that differentiation is not just visual. Brand distinctiveness is built through consistency of narrative, leadership behaviour and customer experience over time.

Rebranding with purpose

Conor points out that the vital approach when a firm is rebranding is having a legitimate drive for change, as well as extensive consumer testing. Brand semiotics showcase understanding of what works best about existing assets before modifying the brand image. 

A key takeaway was the need to remain consistent once a position has been established. Successful brands are clear about what they stand for and reinforce that message relentlessly.

Bringing people with you

The panel also explored the importance of internal alignment when building differentiated brands.

Securing buy-in from leadership teams early in the process helps ensure branding decisions are embedded throughout the organisation, rather than remaining isolated within marketing teams. Involving wider stakeholders during development stages also creates stronger clarity around audience, positioning and purpose.

There was also discussion around the role employees play in shaping perception externally. If teams genuinely connect with a brand’s positioning internally, customers are far more likely to respond to it externally.

Beyond performance marketing

Jasper discussed the evolution from pure performance marketing to brand building. The conversation explored how firms are increasingly diversifying channels, investing in storytelling and creating useful, engaging content rather than relying solely on traditional advertising approaches. Influencers, social channels and cross-platform visibility were all discussed as part of building stronger long-term brand recall.

The panel agreed that sustained presence and consistency increasingly matter more than isolated campaigns.

AI, search and the future of visibility

AI and search visibility emerged as another major theme throughout the discussion.

Alanna Nensel noted how the rise of AI-driven search and AEO (Artificial Intelligence Optimisation) is changing how brands are discovered online, observing that “you are not just marketing to humans anymore, but to the machines influencing what humans see”.

At the same time, the panel discussed the tension between efficiency and authenticity. While AI creates opportunities for scale and speed, there is broad agreement that human judgement, curiosity and originality remain essential, particularly in an industry built on trust.

Rather than replacing people, the conversation suggested the future belongs to organisations that combine technology effectively with clear thinking, strong perspectives and authentic storytelling.

Ultimately, the panel reinforced that escaping the “sea of sameness” is not about being louder. It is about being clearer, more consistent and more deliberate in how brands define and communicate what makes them genuinely different.