2014 Bronze Best Launch Campaign

Client RBS/NatWest

How did the campaign make a difference? Banks were much maligned following the 2008 UK economic collapse – none more so than RBS/NatWest. The bank needed to show SMEs that it was listening, changing and developing products and initiatives that would provide real support.

By launching Bizcrowd, it offered what no other UK bank offered: a free online community marketplace for SMEs to network.

At a difficult time for SMEs, Bizcrowd successfully performed an important role in helping small businesses make the connections essential to their success. Post launch, Bizcrowd site traffic grew ten-fold and registrations increased by 80%. The commercial value of the connections created is impossible to quantify, but significant.

Strategy It can be incredibly hard and lonely to run your own small business – 20% fail in their first year. NatWest's contribution was to build a free online community marketplace for small business owners to promote their services and connect with buyers or sellers.

The launch needed to drive registrations and position NatWest as a bank that gets the needs of SMEs. Bizcrowd members didn't need to be customers of the bank and, crucially, the site didn't try to sell them anything. The bank was simply doing something to help at a time when SMEs needed it most.

The target audience was broad – business owners, MDs, decision makers and sales executives in SMEs turning over from £75k-£2m per annum. From plumbers and garden centres to accountancy firms – they were united by the truth that business can be a very lonely place and they often lack the funds or time to market or connect themselves effectively.

Creativity A multi-layered direct campaign supported the launch – TV driving awareness and building an understanding of the proposition alongside, press, search and digital.

The TV ad 'All By Myself' showed three lonely, struggling business owners: a guitar shop, a garage and an open top bus tour operator. It told the story of how SMEs find each other via Bizcrowd to form a mutually beneficial relationship. The story was told in a beautifully simple way, shot and lit to enhance their isolation and using the 1975 Eric Carmen song 'All By Myself' to enhance memorability.

The different businesses allowed for different press and digital executions and were paired to dramatize the idea of business connectivity. Print activity was delivered on Mondays and Tuesdays to put Bizcrowd top of mind at the start of the week. Digital display and search were used as a conversion channel to drive registrations.

Results In the fortnight after the launch, Bizcrowd site traffic grew ten-fold. Registrations increased 80%, out-performing the campaign target by 47.5%.

After launch, the best-performing activity (digital display, paid search and email) were refined messaging and run for a further four months.

But beyond achieving simple campaign metrics, Bizcrowd performs an important role in helping small businesses across the UK. It was not set up to make money for the bank, it was created to provide a free and useful services to help small businesses to grow. The commercial value of the connections created via Bizcrowd is impossible to quantify, but expected to be massive. Bizcrowd is unique and brave in that the site doesn't try to sell members any RBS/NatWest products or services – and is a service no other bank is providing.