Leeds-headquartered creative communications agency, Hatch, is supporting Nationwide Building Society as it unveils a new, modernised rebrand which is set to be rolled out across its entire network of 605 branches.
The rebrand is Nationwide’s most significant brand refresh since 1987, and is part of a drive to demonstrate the value of mutuality – being member-owned, as opposed to being owned by shareholders.
In addition to an updated visual identity, the new branding sees Nationwide promise to be ‘A Good Way to Bank’ alongside a new logo, look and feel. Still distinctively Nationwide, but purposely new, transforming Nationwide into a fresh, dynamic and modern challenger to traditional banks.
With improved accessibility standards, the new look and feel also exemplifies Nationwide’s focus on providing fairer and better service for its customers.
Hatch is working as an extension of Nationwide’s internal PR and social media teams as they communicate this new phase to members, and bring the advertising campaign to life across owned channels.
The identity began roll out over the weekend with branches across the country, internet banking and the mobile app, and new debit and credit cards among the first to display the new branding Leeds branches joined those in Leicester, Cambridge, Cardiff and Nottingham as the first to display the enw look.
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.
The logo and typeface are accompanied by an overhauled colour palette that remains recognisably Nationwide in its use of hero red and blue. A modern set of secondary colours have been inspired by the colours that make up community life in the UK; from the green of local parks to the blue of heritage plaques and letterbox red.
It is the latest move by Nationwide to challenge shareholder-owned banks by demonstrating its difference – not least that, being run for the benefit of members rather than external shareholders, it can make choices like keeping branches open because they matter to its customers.
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.
The latest phase also includes a new integrated advertising campaign, featuring British actor Dominic West (The Wire, The Crown) which will premier during Great British Bake Off on October 10. The campaign sees 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 will launch on October 7, and out-of-home ads on October 9, with taxi wraps and buses following later. From October 13 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. These activations will showcase the brand’s new bold and confidently understated tone-of-voice and visual identity.
Catherine Kehoe, chief customer, brand and ngagement officer at Nationwide, said: “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.”
Victoria Tidmarsh, operations director at Hatch, added: Having worked with the Nationwide team to deliver partnership activations over recent years, we’re pleased to now be supporting the brand’s evolution as it moves into this exciting new era. Nationwide is a household name brand, and one that we are incredibly proud to work alongside.
