Actor Dominic West is best known for his work in The Crown, Brassic, The Wire and Downton Abbey, with his expansive range of roles earning him numerous accolades including a BAFTA, a Golden Globe and a Primetime Emmy.
However, these days, when audiences turn on the TV, they are just as likely to see West starring in Nationwide Building Society’s campaigns as in one of his films or series.
The campaign centres on Hugo, the fictional CEO of A.N.Y Bank, a traditional shareholder-owned institution. Through Hugo, Nationwide contrasts the self-serving, profit-first approach of conventional banks with its own member-focused values.
Launched alongside Nationwide’s corporate rebrand in October 2023, the campaign features West portraying the over-the-top “banker” archetype by mocking customers, expensing lavish lunches, closing branches and commanding staff while Nationwide showcases the mutual’s member-first ethos.
Since its debut, the campaign has evolved through several instalments. One coincided with the British Open, highlighting Hugo’s boastful profits while Nationwide shared earnings with nearly four million members. Meanwhile, another celebrated the mutual being named Which? Banking Brand of the Year – much to Hugo’s disappointment.
Richard Warren, director of brands and marketing at Nationwide Building Society, says that with every instalment, the campaign maintains a consistent focus, ensuring that Nationwide’s promise of being “a good way to bank” is always front and centre.
Bringing Nationwide’s difference to life
According to Warren, the primary objective of the campaign was to clearly communicate what sets Nationwide apart from other banks in the sector, which was a message the mutual had previously struggled to convey.
“In the highly competitive financial services category, Nationwide had been too quiet and passive in the past, leading to low spontaneous ad awareness, low brand salience and a failure to appeal to younger audiences,” he says.
The challenge was to grab attention while staying true to the society’s member-first values and without alienating its existing customer base. To achieve this, the campaign focused on dramatising the difference between Nationwide and traditional, shareholder-owned banks.
This thinking shaped the creative idea. The brand platform, “a good way to bank,” reflects Nationwide’s ethos, while the fictional world of A.N.Y Bank brings the distinction to life.
This imagined world exaggerates the traits of conventional banks, creating a stark contrast with Nationwide. Within the campaign, interactions between West’s character and his Executive Assistant illustrate the differences between shareholder-focused institutions and a mutual that prioritises its members.
In addition, campaign proof points are grounded in real banking practices, reinforcing Nationwide’s purpose and making its difference tangible.
“In our Dominic West campaign, we use the relationship between the Boss and his Executive Assistant (played by Sunil Patel) to allow for direct comparison between us and the big banks,” he says. “We select proof points that dramatise our challenger status versus the big banks and underpin our difference.”
Warren notes that the idea first emerged as part of Nationwide’s 2023 brand relaunch, which introduced a refreshed, more focused purpose: banking but fairer, more rewarding and for the good of society. Today, everything across the business is now measured against this blueprint, providing a clear framework for communicating the mutual’s values.
Turning creativity into results
With the campaign now fully underway, Nationwide has focused as much on measuring its impact as on creating it. Warren explains that the society has invested heavily in its insight capabilities, from shaping propositions to guiding the delivery of marketing campaigns, to ensure every initiative is informed by data and customer understanding.
“Measurement for this activity includes a blend of short- and long-term metrics,” he adds. “We monitor our performance across several brand equity statements on a regular basis and invest in econometrics to establish a clear understanding of the impact of campaigns on brand and business performance.”
The results have been striking. Warren says the reaction to the campaign has been incredibly positive, with Nationwide achieving “unprecedented” growth in brand and awareness metrics. The society’s strong performance was further recognised when it was awarded the Kantar BrandZ Brand of the Year.
“In the two years since the campaign launched, we now rank first in our brand tracking for ‘heard good things about’, with the highest score in the history of our tracking, and are now first for spontaneous advertising awareness,” he says.
In addition to the external measurement, the response internally among Nationwide colleagues has also been “phenomenal,” according to Warren.
He highlights that this success is supported by Nationwide’s approach to continuous testing and adaptation. Campaigns are routinely trialled with both customers and non-customers before going live to ensure messages and creative resonate effectively with the audience.
This combination of creative boldness, rigorous testing and data-driven measurement has allowed Nationwide to not only stand out in a crowded market but also to reinforce its purpose and values consistently across all touchpoints.
By linking every campaign decision back to the society’s blueprint and focusing on member-first storytelling, Nationwide has strengthened both its brand and its unique positioning.