NCA gives Nationwide its biggest rebrand in over 30 years

The rebrand and integrated ad campaign heralds a more "confident" Nationwide, setting the challenger apart from other competitor banks

By creative salon

09 October 2023

Nationwide has unveiled a new modernised rebrand and accompanying advertising campaign as part of a drive to demonstrate the value of mutuality – being member-owned, as opposed to being owned by shareholders.

The rebrand, created by communications and customer experience agency, New Commercial Arts, is Nationwide’s most significant brand refresh since 1987.

In addition to the updated visual identity, the new branding sees Nationwide promise to be ‘A Good Way to Bank’ for its customers. With improved accessibility standards, the new look and feel exemplifies Nationwide’s focus on providing fairer and better service for its customers.

Each one of the society’s 605 branches will be modernised to reaffirm its ongoing commitment to offer face-to-face service and financial support for its members, with research from Nationwide revealing 63 per cent of people value their local branch, with face-to-face service given as the top answer as to why.

The identity has rolled out in branches across the country, on internet banking and the mobile app and on debit and credit cards.

According to the brand, the new logo modernises and simplifies the Nationwide icon, while the custom typography draws on the heritage of the building society, recalling a typeface used in Nationwide’s advertising during the 1980s ('Editorial New').

The logo and typeface are accompanied by an overhauled colour palette that remains recognisably Nationwide in its use of hero red and blue.

It is the latest move by Nationwide that challenges the shareholder-owned banks by demonstrating its difference. In June, Nationwide extended its Branch Promise, meaning it won’t leave any town or city in which it is based until at least 2026. And in May, the Society announced it was returning £340 million of profit to 3.4 million eligible members through its inaugural ‘Fairer Share’ payment, with each receiving £100.

As part of the rebrand, Nationwide has also launched a new integrated advertising campaign, featuring British actor Dominic West.

The first campaign under the new brand platform focuses on Nationwide’s commitment to keeping branches open and features West as a fictional rival banking boss – who is determined to introduce cutbacks and branch closures.

The advert sees Dominic West’s more astute assistant, played by comedian Sunil Patel, question his proposed closure of branches – highlighting the need for customers to seek financial advice in person, and Nationwide’s commitment to staying put on the high street.

Alongside the TV campaign, new creative in print has been launched as well as and out-of-home (OOH) ads including taxi wraps and buses following later. From 13 October the campaign will launch in audio channels including podcast host reads across 'The Rest is Politics' and 'The Rest is Money', as well as wider media channel support in cinema, VOD, YouTube, and digital display.

Richard Warren, Director of Brand Marketing and Experience at Nationwide, said" “This campaign marks a new chapter for 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. We think this makes us ‘A good way to bank’, and our Branch Promise and sharing our profit through our Fairer Share payment are just a couple of examples of this in action. I believe the new campaign will resonate with everyone who feels that too often today big corporations fail to act in their customers’ best interests.”

David Golding, Chief Strategy Officer at NCA, added: “It’s a privilege to be working with a brand like Nationwide. It’s a true challenger to the big banks with something to say and a fresh desire to be more seen and heard. Our new brand design and advertising campaign heralds a more confident Nationwide, proudly standing apart from the traditional big banks and the people who run them.”

Catherine Kehoe, Chief Customer, Brand and Engagement Officer at Nationwide, commented: “This is an incredibly exciting time for Nationwide, as we update our brand to reflect our position as a modern mutual.

“We need to ensure that Nationwide continues to be relevant and attractive, not only to our valued existing customers, but to future generations of savers and borrowers.

“Our members have made it clear that while the world evolves to become increasingly digital-first, the importance of having a physical branch to engage with is as important as ever. And with our Branch Promise committing our place on high streets until at least 2026, it was never in question that our rebrand would be rolled out across our full network of 605 branches.”

Rob Curran, Customer Experience Founder at NCA, concluded: “We’re incredibly excited to see this rebrand come to life across all of Nationwide’s physical and digital real estate. The Nationwide brand is a special one, and it now has a look and feel to match – strikingly modern, refreshingly simple, yet still so familiar. We’ve gone through the design archives at Nationwide and recalled some beautiful elements from their history, while at the same time creating a new brand that is fit for the future.”