Nationwide looks to appeal to A-level audience with Snapchat Geofilter and Lens campaign
Nationwide is the latest brand to jump on the Snapchat wagon, unveiling a multi-functional campaign on the messaging app to help A-level students celebrate their exam results, which will be revealed today (18 August).
Nationwide has launched a Snapchat campaign / Nationwide
Using Snapchat’s bespoke location-focused Geofilter overlays as well as a sponsored Lens, the UK-wide initiative will see the financial services firm team up with the social startup to launch its FlexStudent account.
The push is believed to be the first time a UK company has used Snapchat’s Geofilter and Lens formats in tandem. The main difference between the two is that Geofilters are activated based on a users’ location and give them the option to overlay a still sticker-type image on their selfies. Lenses, meanwhile, are not strictly location-prompted and employ technology which distort users’ faces to make them look like something else (ie the popular puppy and flower crown filters).
In Nationwide’s case, the Lens element of the campaign (pictured above) lets users celebrate by opening their mouths to ‘pop’ a party popper, creating a picture or video they can share with friends.
The bank’s Geofilter (pictured below) contains a confetti-style overlay with text above it reading: ‘A-levels – Smashed It’, which again can be sent to a user’s contacts.
The campaign was designed by Nationwide’s lead creative agency VCCP, with the brand’s chief marketing officer Sara Bennison saying: “A building society is founded on the principle that life is better when it’s shared. What better way for us to launch our new student account, therefore, than through this partnership with Snapchat as our younger members share their news on A-Level results day?”
“It’s a great example of where a mobile platform can enhance a very emotional, human experience.”
With a daily video view count of 10bn, Snapchat is fast becoming the go-to platform for brands looking to woo millennials, and financial institutions have not been immune to its spell. Earlier this summer, Barclays teamed up with the messaging app for the launch of its 'Great British Music Showdown' campaign, paying for one of the channel's Snap Ads to promote the push.
While Lenses and Geofilters are some of Snapchat’s most popular formats, the company has been doubling down on what it can offer brands, and it's apparently increased the number of video ads it serves between users’ Stories over the past few weeks.