NATIONWIDE’S BUMBLING BANKER RETURNS WITH NEW ADVERT FOR ITS SAVINGSWATCH PROPOSITION

• Second advert continues Nationwide’s ‘Good Way to Bank’ campaign and follows last year’s major rebrand 
• Renowned British actor Dominic West back as fictional bank boss frustrated with declining customer satisfaction 
• Nationwide shows mutual difference via SavingsWatch:  a service telling customers about new accounts or better rates
• New Commercial Arts (NCA) behind latest creative

Nationwide is continuing its ‘Good Way to Bank’ commitment as its latest TV advert, delivered by NCA, shows how customers are put first when it comes to getting the most out of their savings.

It is the latest move by Britain’s biggest building society that challenges the shareholder-owned banks by demonstrating its difference as a member-owned mutual and follows the success of a major rebrand that saw Dominic West first appear onscreen as the out-of-touch boss of fictional A.N.Y Bank. 

West’s return to the role sees him become quickly bored with speaking to the marketing department over a video call. After hanging up, he is equally disinterested in the customer satisfaction scores presented by his more perceptive assistant, played by comedian Sunil Patel.

Patel suggests that to improve scores A.N.Y Bank could be more like Nationwide, which offers a SavingsWatch service that notifies customers who are signed up of changes to their savings accounts, annual savings reports and newly launched accounts that might be better suited to their needs. 

The campaign launches in TV with 60” spots in top programming including Six Nations: England vs. Wales, The Masked Singer, and Trigger Point. The new ad will also run in VoD, Online Video and Cinema. The campaign’s surround sound effect is bolstered by support through OOH, print, audio, and digital display. Wavemaker UK planned and bought the campaign.

Richard Warren, Director of Brand Marketing and Experience at Nationwide, said “We’re continuing our campaign to position Nationwide as a modern and confident challenger to the big banks. We don’t have shareholders, so we can focus entirely on our customers and doing what’s right for them. Our SavingsWatch service isn’t something new – it’s something we’ve been doing for our customers for years because it’s the right thing to do. We want our customers to get the best out of their money. Bringing who we are as a building society to the surface ensures Nationwide continues to be relevant and attractive, not only to existing customers but to future generations of savers and borrowers. We think this makes us ‘A good way to bank’.”

David Golding, Founder and Chief Strategy Officer at New Commercial Arts, said: “We’re excited to have Dominic back on our screens. We hope his comic portrayal of the A.N.Y Bank’s boss continues to capture the public’s attention and affection, and show Nationwide as the lead challenger in banking.” 

Nationwide, which now has more branches than any other bank, is continuing to demonstrate its difference. Last year, it extended its Branch Promise, meaning everywhere it has a branch it will remain until at least 2026, while it announced it was returning £340 million of profit to 3.4 million eligible members through its inaugural ‘Fairer Share’ payment, with each receiving £100.​ Nationwide’s rebrand, its biggest in 36 years, rolled out from October last year across its branch network, digital services and banking cards.

Source: Wavemaker UK

  Advertising, Campaign, Dominic West, Marketing, Nationwide, New Commercial Arts, Wavemaker UK