NatWest – Dean of Downtime

Objective:

UK national bank NatWest aimed to engage university students with a range of various student bank account incentives. However, after recent shifts in the rewards program, a historically popular travel card, offering a wide range of nationwide travel, was no longer available. The brand had to find a way to make a new portfolio of other, smaller, rewards as attractive to one compelling previous offer.

Insight:

There isn’t one way to live your life at university, that’s the beauty of it. You can discover who you want to be, try new things and meet new friends. In fact, you learn as much about yourself outside the classroom at university as you do inside of it. Downtime at university is important and varied, and while the educational system gives you academic support, no one was providing recreational support.

Approach: 

Highlight the value of NatWest’s array of student incentives to drive greater engagement with the brand’s student account by positioning the new variety of the incentive range as the perfect tool for however you want to explore your university downtime.

Idea: 

The Dean of Downtime, a faculty member dedicated more to fun than focused academics, but with the same letter grading on student’s current lifestyle and activities. With NatWest, a failing food regime can be upgraded. Movie night can get a new lease on life. Music can be experienced live instead of in the dorm.

Results:

The Dean of Downtime launched in social media and digital video channels – directly acquiring 5,000 new student accounts, a 180% increase on the previous year’s activity.

// Agency: VaynerMedia EMEA

// Role: Head of Strategy