Off the back of my work with Fallon on the Sony pitch, I was asked to help pitch for the Nationwide UK account at 18 Feet and Rising.

Nationwide is a building society, not a bank. Building societies answer to their members, whilst banks answer only to their shareholders. Unfortunately most people don’t know this. Our challenge was to make what many wrongly consider a semantic difference into something tangible that they could talk about in the pub.

- Route #1 -
- Rewarding Members -

Belonging.
We all want it, and we all need it.
Community is at the heart of belonging,
And membership is at the heart of community.
You could even say that it’s fundamental to being human.

Whether it’s church on Sunday, or the mosque at 5am.
Perhaps it’s football practice on Tuesday in preparation for the derby,
Or a cheeky pint on Friday night after work.
We all need to believe in something bigger than the individual.
And we become richer for doing so.

Nationwide’s heritage is unquestionable.
From humble beginnings in the Midlands,
To one of the world’s safest financial institutions.
We’ve always dependably stood behind our members.
But today’s economic climate demands a more tangible benefit.

We have to be bold.
Now is the time to be brave.
We must become the world’s first members only bank.

Which means doing things differently.
Like new customers can no longer walk in off the street,
But need to be invited by a current member instead,
With both parties rewarded for growing the business.

Think of the publicity.
But this is no hollow PR stunt.
Nor is it exclusivity for it’s own sake.
It is wholesale change to restore a cynical public’s trust,
And empower staff and members to take control.

It’s banking on a whole new level.

Nationwide. Rewarding Members.

- Route #2 -
- Clearly Better Banking -

Understandable.
Responsive.
Transparent.

Doesn’t really sound like a bank, does it?
Which is a shame.
But worse, it’s a problem.

Any recent online review of Nationwide confirms it as true,
And no amount of advertising will really fix it.
Because changing perception is not true change.
True organisational change trumps advertising every time.

We need to be humble enough to admit the problem,
And in doing so, we create a massive opportunity for Nationwide.
Nationwide has always treated all customers equally.
It’s now time to capitalize on this and extend the natural lead.
We can be more easily understood.
We can be more responsive.
If only we embrace transparency as our guiding principle.

We have a responsibility to present the good with the bad.
Uncomfortable truths become a catalyst for change instead of something to hide.
Both members and staff deserve nothing less.
They have a vested interest in the business.
So let’s empower them to carry the message,
That Nationwide walks the walk.

We begin with the very vocal appointment of a Chief Transparency Officer,
To lead all employees on a quest for true organizational change,
From the CEO down to the envelopes.
It’s time to challenge the status quo.

Together we can reinvent banking.

Nationwide. Clearly Better Banking.