Northern Rock not quite so solid as Virgin takes over

AMID THE ACRES of newsprint dedicated to attempting to explain how a £400 gazillion loss is a good deal for British taxpayers, one small but interesting factoid emerged. Virgin Money, which has acquired long-time Newcastle United sponsor Northern Rock, has "no intention of retaining the [Northern Rock] brand". The name is likely to be phased out next year but it got Frontiers thinking: after a proud history of mutualisation and all that investment in sponsorship, does the Rock have no brand equity at all? It certainly must be better known than its acquirer, Virgin Money, which has always struggled to compete in the sector. Perhaps the logic is that Northern Rock carries so much negative sentiment that only a complete re-launch complete with retro livery, red shiny styling and, erm, Branson can save it. If so, perhaps there's another home for the brand: Cleethorpes confectionery maker or North East mining perhaps. Maybe they could retain the link with Newcastle United - the club has got to prefer those options than becoming known as the Toon Virgins.