Nationwide and 18 Feet and Rising resolve High Court ad row (but no money had exchanged hands)
A row over who came up with a creative idea between Nationwide and its former agency 18 Feet and Rising has been resolved after both reached an agreement though no money was exchanged.
The resolution comes after the banking firm admitted it had adapted its agency’s original idea and not created it internally, contrary to earlier suggestions.
The building society originally claimed it had developed an ad it ran in May after it was no longer working with the agency. Called “On your side for generations”, the ad was in fact based on a concept and script created by 18 Feet and Rising, though this had not been made entirely clear in the credits for the campaign.
Nationwide’s decision rifled the creative shop to file a claim against its former employer in the Chancery Division of the High Court. A joint statement revealed that 18 Feet and Rising has withdrawn its High Court claim and expresses Nationwide’s acceptance that the original concept for the ad was not one its internal team had created.
The statement reads: "The Court claim brought by Nationwide Building Society’s former advertising agency, 18 Feet & Rising, against Nationwide has been withdrawn following an agreement, with no money being exchanged. The claim related to Nationwide’s current ‘Generations’ television advertising campaign that first aired on 31 May 2015.
"The Court claim brought by Nationwide Building Society’s former advertising agency, 18 Feet & Rising, against Nationwide has been withdrawn following an agreement, with no money being exchanged. The claim related to Nationwide’s current ‘Generations’ television advertising campaign that first aired on 31 May 2015.”
Nationwide and 18 Feet and Rising parted ways earlier this year and the building society now works with VCCP on its creative.