NatWest and ITV have teamed up to champion small and medium-sized businesses across the UK as part of the broadcaster's "Backing business" initiative.
The campaign, developed by Pablo, stars This Morning's Alison Hammond as “The Intern”. In a trilogy of mini-documentaries shot by Caswell Coggins, Hammond visits three companies that bank with NatWest.
There are more than 5.7 million SMEs in the UK, generating half of the country's business revenue. The SMEs showcased in ITV's campaign are Fiddlers Crisps, a sustainable farm and factory in Lancashire, Honister Slate Mine in the Lake District, and Miss Macaroon, a macaroon bakery in Birmingham.
The first of the films, which shows Hammond at a Honister Slate Mine, will air during ITV’s latest drama The Long Call, with the final two films airing later in October and November. The spots were produced by Pablo’s in-house production company, Pablito.
The campaign will be supported by out-of-home, social, digital and radio creative.
Media has been planned and booked with Initiative, and the supporting creative for social and digital was made by Vayner Media.
Tim Snape, executive creative director at Pablo, said: “We always had high hopes for the project, but Alison Hammond really helped to build warm relationships with everyone within each business, allowing us to capture something with deeper insight and more emotion than we expected.”
Margaret Jobling, chief marketing officer at NatWest Group, added: “We’re incredibly excited to join forces with ITV to champion businesses of all shapes and sizes across the UK. Our experience as the UK’s biggest business bank, together with ITV’s extensive regional voice, means we’re well placed to showcase the hard work and determination it takes to run and grow a business.”
Mark Trinder, director of commercial sales and partnerships at ITV, said: “Our work with NatWest on the Backing Business campaign has had a huge impact over the last year in supporting small businesses through the power of TV advertising. This latest campaign highlights the importance of these businesses to the wider economy in a warm and lighthearted way and I’m delighted that, with NatWest, we are showcasing them to viewers.”
.jpg)
.jpeg)
