Bank of Scotland

Bank of Scotland is proudly by the side of Scots. It’s Scotland’s original bank and today has a relationship with three million customers. That’s more than half the population.

But while they’re familiar to the nation at large, for the 16-24 age group, it’s more of a ‘mum and dad’ bank than a brand for them. Especially when FinTechs seem to offer the day-to-day banking they need. Perhaps it’s no wonder that, while student numbers are steadily on the rise, the number of dedicated student account openings is in decline.

We needed to make Bank of Scotland’s student account relevant to young Scots entering a new chapter of financial independence, ultimately driving online sign-ups.

We made it relevant by helping new students feel empowered to make the most of student life with their Bank of Scotland student account, by starting at the core. The audience.

We conducted our own qualitative and quantitative research and identified the two main worries of Freshers: making friends and managing finances.

And when it came to audience insight, we didn’t stop there. We invited the country’s up and coming creatives to help us solve the problem via the Marketing Society Scotland Aspiring Creative Star Award.

With our original insight plus the perspective of the student Star Award winners, we co-created the proposition ‘Be That BOSS (Bank of Scotland Student)’, speaking to a relatively financially-savvy new generation in a relatable, social-first way.

We created characters and scenarios based around the encounters students have in their early days of university. The campaign demonstrates how Bank of Scotland’s dedicated student current account empowers new students to make the most of their university life.

From cheaper socialising with cashback offers on a range of retailers to removing the awkwardness of splitting a round with the LinkPay feature.

Social media executions promoted the account’s nifty app-based features, while on-campus OOH pushed the account opening incentive. A cool £110 cash.

By truly understanding the next generation of students and having them being involved in creating the idea behind the campaign, we were able to disrupt their world with a creative that showcases fellow students and scenarios they can identify with.

We septupled (yes that’s right 7x!) student account webpage visits within the first month, with a +580% increase on the previous month.