Nationwide has unveiled a
new advertising partnership featuring characters from the UK-based
comedy show, Little Britain, as part of the building
society’s drive to emphasise its mutual model.
The three television ads, the first
commercial work in which comedy double act Matt Lucas and David
Walliams have been involved, feature characters from their hit
sketch show as customers interacting with Nationwide employees.
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Running until 12 July, the ads
feature the tag line, ‘Nationwide – Proud to be different’ and are
available to view on demand at nationwide-members.co.uk.
“The new TV ads are iconic, full of
humour, and their extreme nature is a natural foil for the
common-sense approach Nationwide has to financial services,” said
James Boulton, the bank’s divisional director of customer strategy
and marketing.
The bank showcases its sponsorship
of the England football team in the World Cup, with Fabio Capello,
the team manager featuring in one of the ads, alongside Lou (David
Walliams), the long-suffering carer for supposedly wheelchair-bound
Andy (Matt Lucas).
In the clip, Lou approaches Capello
for a signed T-shirt, and while his back is turned, Andy leaps out
of his wheelchair, takes on Theo Walcott, Jermain Defoe and Peter
Crouch before booting the ball past goalkeeper David James to
score.
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By GlobalDataAs ever, he is back in his chair
before Lou notices a thing despite the stunned faces of the
team.
In another ad, Matt Lucas’ iconic
character of a teenage delinquent, Vicky Pollard, mistakes a
Nationwide branch for a chip shop and attempts to order chips and a
battered sausage.
The staff try to explain that they
“do money” not chips and, with no shareholders to pay dividends to,
can focus on their customers instead.
After agreeing to open an account
“with ketchup on the side”, an outraged Vicki storms out
complaining “they don’t even do chicken nuggets”.
“These ads are further evidence of our commitment to showing how
our mutual model… makes us very different,” said Boulton.
