How Nationwide found its Voice

Nationwide had a small share of the declining market in current account switchers. A shift from rational to more emotional advertising produced a temporary improvement. But it took the radical ‘Voices’ strategy, featuring TV poetry ads and a more individual tone across media, to set Nationwide apart from other banking brands. This is the story of how Nationwide found its distinctive voice in the category

The results

• From the rational era, through Nationwide’s first emotional ads to Voices, they’ve seen a dramatic increase in average monthly account openings and in their share of new account openings
• Brand differentiation, trust and affinity all rose
• Advertising drove an estimated 63k switched accounts and 242k new account openings
• Total value created for Nationwide members was modelled at £2.66 for every £1 invested

The highly successful campaign won a Silver at the IPA Effectiveness Awards 2018.

In one line, I’d say it’s a victory for long-termism, it’s a victory for emotional brand building, it’s a victory for sustained media spend and it’s a victory also for short term activation.

Paul Hibbs Director of Advertising and Media, Nationwide Building Society

Film contributors:

• Gethin James,Group Planning Director, VCCP
• Paul Hibbs, Director of Advertising and Media, Nationwide Building Society