Nationwide is using the fifth instalment of its “ANY Bank” advertising series, to highlight that one of the key benefits of being a Nationwide member is getting access to the brand’s flagship anti-fraud 24/7 Scam Checker service.
The latest chapter of the activity, originally devised by New Commercial Arts, is the first created by Mother since it was appointed in February. It continues to feature Dominic West as Hugo, the now infamously out of touch bolshy rival banker.
This time he is in his office berating the window cleaner when he receives a call from his daughter, Zozo, asking for money as she is stuck at an airport.
However, he foolishly reckons it is a scam and shouts down the phone: “You’re not my daughter, you’re an AI. Think you can scam old Hugo do you, well get lost” before putting the phone down.
Enter Nationwide’s Scam Checker service, which allows members to talk to Nationwide and check a payment over the phone or in branch whenever they are not sure.
The ad ends with “Hugo’s” sidekick calling Zozo back and promising to “have a word”.
The campaign will run in cinema, on TV, BVOD and YouTube. Nationwide partners with a number of best-in-class agencies; the roster includes Mother for creative, Uncovered for social, The Romans for public relations and Wavemaker for media.
Nationwide marketing director Richard Warren said: “Protecting our members from scams and fraudulent attempts is a very important example of how we put our customers first at Nationwide, and a fantastic proposition to highlight in our latest ad.
“The entire ANY Bank campaign has driven top of market salience for our brand, and record switching performance”.
Mother strategy director Imogen Carter added: “Nationwide came to us with a clear growth-driving brief. As a new agency partner, it’s tempting to want to tear everything down and start again.
“But with a campaign and distinctive assets that were performing well, that wouldn’t have been the right answer for the brand or business. So, instead, we honed it to make it more relevant to culture and the audience, tapping into wider worries about scams and how Nationwide offers help.”
And it appears the strategy is paying off handsomely. Since its launch in 2023 by NCA, the brand platform has survived an ASA ban to help to highlight Nationwide’s point of difference with the big banks. In just three years, Nationwide has gone from fourth to first place for spontaneous advertising awareness, and has moved into first place for a banking brand “I have heard good things about”.
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