The establishment of affinity relationships within the financial services industry has been most prevalent in the credit card market, although they have also become popular in the deposit savings, personal loan and general insurance sectors. While the success of affinity schemes has been more patchy in other product areas, these techniques have also been deployed in other sectors of the market such as mortgages, life, pensions and investments.

With the financial services market becoming increasingly mature, this trend away from mass marketing can only be expected to continue and affinity marketing is likely to gain in prominence as a means of allowing financial services providers to differentiate their product offering.

This report provides a unique analysis and assessment of the main themes that are currently affecting the affinity market, exploring the key issues involved in developing successful, mutually beneficial relationships. In addition it also uses original consumer research to gain a greater appreciation of consumer attitudes to affinity marketing and the levels of recognition that the strategy has obtained.