Santander has filed a complaint with the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) over a recent Nationwide Building Society ad satirising bank bosses’ attitudes to branch closures, according to Sky News.
In October, Nationwide unveiled an advert that sees Dominic West cast as an out-of-touch bank boss. West, who works for the fictional A.N.Y Bank, is determined to introduce cutbacks and branch closures, despite his more astute assistant, played by comedian Sunil Patel, questioning his decisions.
The ASA received a formal complaint soon after the commercial aired, arguing that it is “misleading around other banks closing branches, and discredits and denigrates its competitors,” the watchdog tells Sky.
While the ASA has not named the complainant, Sky says it is the UK arm of Spanish giant Santander.
The ASA has yet to rule on the issue but Nationwide has already lined up a second “even more pointed” ad, says Sky.
The original commercial came as Nationwide boasted that its longstanding commitment to branches meant that it had the largest network in the country. The society had recently renewed its Branch Promise to not leave any town or city in which it is based until at least 2026 – in sharp contrast to mass bank closures up and down the country in recent years.