NatWest launches ‘motivational’ finance ad during cost-of-living crisis
NatWest has launched the latest iteration of its ’Tomorrow Begins Today’ campaign. The optimistic, upbeat ad looks to show customers that it might have the resources to give them greater confidence in dealing with their finances during the cost-of-living crisis in the UK.
Developed and created by The&Partnership in collaboration with director Freddie Powell, photographer Tom Van Schelven and the team at Drool Productions, the spot is soundtracked by Gwen Stefani’s catchy What You Waiting For? and features a range of different people in various financial situations.
One young boy wants to save up for a new pair of trainers, another shot shows an older woman going back to university to study and lastly it highlights a young CEO determined to get her business off the ground. The energetic voiceover comes from British rapper Lady Leshurr and aims to empower the next generation to ‘overcome obstacles standing in their way’.
The upbeat feel of the ad is in stark contrast to the mood of the nation when it comes to finances. According to Deloitte's Consumer Tracking data, UK consumer confidence is at a record low of minus 19% with the majority of those surveyed (55%) pessimistic about their household disposable income.
NatWest's chief marketing officer Margaret Jobling told The Drum that while it understands the concerns people have about their finances, the new campaign wants to give people confidence.
"Through this campaign we want to motivate people to take action today to help them reach their future goals sooner," she said. "Even in today’s environment there is always action we can take – from smaller things like tracking our spending or setting savings goals to setting up the business we’ve always dreamed about. Through this campaign we want to show that we will support our customers when they take that all important, but often daunting, first step today. We all know how good it feels when we finally do take action and this is what we wanted to embody and celebrate in this campaign. No matter how big or small, the first steps towards positive financial change feel good."
The spot will make its debut during ITV’s hit show Love Island on 22 July.
Micky Tudor, chief creative officer at The&Partnership, added: “This campaign is the beginning of a new blast of energy and action from NatWest to inspire, help and support people to get started. The film is bright, it’s colorful, it is Freddie Powell at his glittery best and NatWest at its most vibrant.
“It kicks off a new larger-than-life tone that is summed up by Gwen Stefani’s banger and lifts the campaign away from the usual banking tropes with bags of positivity and bucket loads of energy.”
All media for the campaign has been bought and managed by Initiative. The environmental impact of the campaign was also taken into consideration with The&Partnership using AdGreen’s carbon calculator to generate a carbon score.
Further amplification for the project will come from out-of-home (OOH) activations and a partnership with TikTok creators to reach a wider audience.
-
British Gas taps Professor Green for debt ad during cost-of-living crisis
-
SSE sparks heated complaints over advice to eat porridge to stay warm
Interested in creative campaigns? Check out our Ad of the Day section and sign up to our Ads of the Week newsletter so you don’t miss a story.