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Advertising Santander Ant and Dec

Ant and Dec rip-off Santander's branding with rival bank Antandec

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By John McCarthy, Opinion Editor

June 2, 2019 | 3 min read

Santander bank’s new ad campaign sees it face off unexpected sector competition from a new player, Antandec, a copycat brand created by the TV duo.

Santander rebrands as Antandec marking the duo’s return to TV

Launching 3 June, the campaign sees the pair rip off the Santander branding and pontificate about their brand values and customer propositions. They reveal that TV was just a stopgap until they could pursue their banking passions in a 90-second mockumentary spot.

The campaign from Engine, directed by Declan Lowney at Another Film Company, has been planned by Carat which has placed it in TV, cinema, OOH, print, social, digital display and radio and on a microsite.

Keith Moor, Santander's chief marketing officer, said: "We are thrilled to have Ant & Dec on board at this very exciting time for Santander UK. The concept behind the campaign and its speed to market is testament both to the power of a great idea and the synergy between the duo and the bank.”

Billy Faithfull, chief creative officer, Engine, added: "In the search for a little magic, you have to give every idea a chance to shine. Even the silliest of ideas should be taken seriously.

"So, when it’s thrown into conversation that Ant & Dec sounds a bit like Santander you can’t ignore that, it’s an absolute gift. It was one of those ideas that you keep parking for good reason, but keeps coming back, more powerful than before. And the more we let it back in the room, the more funny, famous and memorable it became. Nothing else stood a chance."

Engine has priors leaning into celebrity TV spots for maximum effect, most recently it cast Robert De Niro as a bagel gangster in a spot for Bolton bakers Warburtons.

It is the first ad campaign featuring the pair since Suzuki pulled creative featuring the pair after Ant McPartlin was fined for drink driving.

Vote for the campaign below in The Drum’s Creative Works.

Santander: Antandec by Engine

By Santander

Overall Rating 4/5

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Advertising Santander Ant and Dec

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