Nationwide’s latest iteration of its “A good way to bank” campaign, starring Dominic West as an arrogant banker, has also generated complaints to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA).
The previous episode, which hit out at bank closures, also prompted several complaints to the ASA, including from rival bank Santander.
The latest spot promotes Nationwide’s SavingsWatch service and opens with West complaining that a marketing meeting is boring.
He is then interrupted by a colleague (Sunil Patel) who reminds him that the bank’s customer satisfaction scores are lagging. West’s character isn’t bothered, concerned only about satisfying shareholders and dismissing complainers as “keyboard warriors”.
A humorous conclusion sees West remark “This person can’t even spell banker”, to which Patel’s character replies “It’s not banker”.
Campaign magazine has reported that the latest ad has received eight complaints.
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The previous 60-second spot centres on an arrogant bank manager exploiting expenses and maintaining a large office but deciding to close the actual branch: “We’re not Nationwide, we’re nothing like them,” says West’s character.
The video ends with the phrase: “Unlike the big branches we are not closing our branches. Nationwide, a good way to bank”.
By February 9 the original advert had received nearly 300 complaints, with pundits asking where the complaints had come from.
Both spots form part of a wide-ranging rebrand by Nationwide in partnership with New Commercial Arts, which has seen it showcase a fresh new look and highlight its commitment to members over profit.
