Scottish Widows brings back iconic widow as part of brand refresh in time for 200th anniversary

“Our brand promise is to provide intelligent solutions today to secure the lives we all want tomorrow. We’re focused on helping close the gap between expectations for retirement and the current reality for many millions of people who simply do not have a plan for later in life. Our brand re-launch is designed to emphasise this commitment and demonstrate to our customers that we have and will continue to evolve to best meet their needs,” said Catherine Kehoe, brand and marketing director for Scottish Widows parent company Lloyds Banking Group.

The new chapter sees Scottish Widows bring back its living logo and icon to television after a six year hiatus, with Amber Martinez taking on the role previously held by Deborah Moore, Amanda Lamb and Hayley Hunt.

101 London, Rufus Leonard, Cohn & Wolfe and MEC were all involved with the fully integrated campaign which includes print and television, adverts, digital marketing, and public relations.

Laurence Green, founding partner at 101 London, the creative agency behind the campaign, commented: “It’s this sentiment of ‘today’s benefits’ that acts as the springboard for our campaign. The peace of mind we enjoy when we’ve sorted out the future is a universal truth, and with it we’re free to enjoy all that life has to offer. We hope that in bringing the immediate to the forefront, we’ll encourage Britain to plan for tomorrow.”

For the first time the iconic widow will not be the sole focus of the brand’s marketing materials with real people in different roles from across the UK cast in supporting roles, including a baker and fisherman in Hastings, and a family and ballet teacher in East London. The campaign hopes to dispel anxiety over the future by helping people recognise that having a plan in place will not only ease worry but help them to enjoy the here and now.