Ethical considerations are becoming increasingly important in the UK consumer's purchase selection, and moral value is itself becoming a marketing tool for producers. The Co-operative bank has positioned itself as an ethical company over the past five years, yet the trend is developing further. From the first affinity product in 1987 (Bank of Scotland and NSPCC), there are now in the region of 11 million affinity product relationships between a financial services provider and group, charity or association which have raised over £40 million on behalf of various affinity groups.

Ethical considerations are becoming increasingly important in the UK consumer's purchase selection, and moral value is itself becoming a marketing tool for producers. The Co-operative bank has positioned itself as an ethical company over the past five years, yet the trend is developing further. From the first affinity product in 1987 (Bank of Scotland and NSPCC), there are now in the region of 11 million affinity product relationships between a financial services provider and group, charity or association which have raised over £40 million on behalf of various affinity groups.

From charitable beginnings though, many other businesses have realised the potential of affinity products, with football clubs and other commercial concerns looking for more innovative ways of creating additional revenue. 15% of affinity products are now sports clubs-related, although over half of UK affinity products are still associated with various charities.

The affinity market helps consumers to satisfy their desire to feel good about the products they are selecting and using, with the customer experiencing a genuine affinity with their product whether it be good cause or football team. Does this result in the product being used more frequently than a non-affinity counterpart? Finance Affinity Marketing assesses product holding levels and consumer attitudes towards products which are coherently marketed at people's own whims and needs. This report also considers the impact of US entrants, with Britain often being targeted prior to a wholesale European launch.

Affinity products can be divided into two distinct groups, those which are simpler, largely commoditised products with well developed distribution, and the more complex products that are sold face-to-face. The most common products are credit cards, savings, personal loans and insurance products, yet with only 16% of the UK population holding affinity products, there is further scope for marketing personal affiliation.

Other Mintel reports of relevance include:

- Financial Lifestyles Series, November 1999

- Charities, Market Intelligence, August 1999

- Premium Cards, Financial, June 1999

- Ethical Investments, Financial, February 1999

- Credit Cards, Financial, June 1998

- Special Report, Cause Related Marketing, 1998.