The Boss is Back: Nationwide Returns With Fourth Spot

Sep. 30, 2024

A year on since Nationwide launched its "A Good Way to Bank" campaign, Dominic West is back as the out-of-touch CEO of A.N.Y. Bank, this time with his daughter. The campaign highlights Nationwide’s unique brand values and the benefits of banking with a "modern mutual" – ownership, profit sharing and doing what’s right by its members. 

The 50-second film opens with West showing his daughter, played by Grace Hogg-Robinson, a commissioned portrait of himself resembling the Roman Emperor, Caligula. Though alarmingly for her dad, his daughter banks with Nationwide due to its profit sharing, among other benefits. 

The advert shows Nationwide talking to a younger demographic, offering them an alternative in financial services that does what’s right by them. 

This message is amplified through out-of-home (OOH), social media, and digital executions stating: "Our members don’t just bank with us, they own us" in Nationwide's now-signature challenger tone of voice, with other executions speaking to the full range of Nationwide’s membership propositions to follow. 

The campaign launches on Tuesday 1^st October in TV with 50” spots in top programming including the Great British Bake Off. The new ad will also run in VoD, Online Video and Cinema. The campaign is supported by Social, OOH, audio, and digital display. Wavemaker UK planned and bought the campaign.

Richard Warren, Director of Brand Marketing and Corporate Affairs at Nationwide, said:

“The fact that Nationwide is owned by its members, rather than shareholders, is what makes it so appealing as a place to bank, particularly to a younger audience.  This is because rather than returning profits to shareholders, we share them with members via our Fairer Share payments and reinvest in service and better rates. Our latest advert brings this difference to life in a humorous and surprising way."

 

Dan Seager and Steve Hall, Creative Directors at New Commercial Arts, said: 

“It’s great to work on a genuine campaign, where each instalment builds on the previous work. The Boss is back. But this time it’s not only Nationwide causing him grief, it’s his own daughter. We think the campaign is really hitting its stride now. That’s largely because we have great clients who understand it’s possible to create funny, entertaining ads that also clearly land the brand message. In this case, the fact Nationwide puts its members first, rather than shareholders.”

 

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 2028, 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.