NatWest
Making a portfolio of small rewards feel like one big one.
To promote NatWest's student account rewards, the Dean of Downtime grades and upgrades university life across food, film and music in social and digital video.
the challenge
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 as one compelling previous offer.
the strategic choice
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.
my contribution
Head of Strategy at VaynerMedia EMEA.
what changed
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.
The 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.
The strategy
The Dean of Downtime, a faculty member dedicated more to fun than focused academics, but with the same letter grading on students’ 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.
The work
