Building a Consumer Brand for Nest

Client: Nest Pensions

Nest, one of the UK’s largest workplace pension providers, has a built-in audience. The challenge isn’t reach but engagement. A persistent knowledge-to-action gap in pensions guided our approach. Ahead of a 2026 launch, we tested a new campaign designed to retain members by tackling three barriers: low brand awareness, financial intimidation, and weak connections between pensions and people’s futures.

Our strategy centred on building a consumer brand capable of retaining members and resisting consolidation. Using MOSAIC data, we defined four life-stage personas and activated YouTube exclusively at launch, chosen for its targeting precision and fast measurement feedback. Creative from the iconic Aardman Studios gave the campaign standout, while MiQ's advanced targeting ensured each persona was reached in their most receptive state. We then extended these learnings into CTV, display and paid social, creating a sustained omnichannel presence. The results were inimitable. Twenty-five million completed video views exceeded targets, but the brand story was more impressive still. Among under-30s, awareness lifted 2.1% with searches for "Nest pension" rising 20%. An OnDevice Research study recorded above-benchmark uplifts across every metric, including +400% ad recall and +192% prompted brand awareness. In a market of 50+ providers, Nest climbed to 4th for top-of-mind awareness, up from just 6% pre-campaign.