Making aspirational connections

NHG Homes - Brand & Advertising Campaign

In the UK housing market, people have traditionally bought into a scheme brand. With a few exceptions, developer brands have not been as important for potential buyers. NHG Homes sought to change this by building enough interest and trust in the NHG Homes brand and overarching offer. By transitioning the focus from scheme brands (which fragments the impact of the umbrella brand, with less efficiency or media purchasing power), they wanted to create a stronger, longer-term market presence as a far more significant consideration for people in the market for a private sale or Shared Ownership home.

To elevate the NHG Homes brand and promote the benefits of owning one of their homes, Bell was commissioned to work on a multi-channel advertising campaign that would build on their recent rebrand, their key proposition ‘Choose London’ and follow their new visual identity guidelines. We had to be bold and impactful to make the required impression on the three audiences – first-time buyers, renters and the ‘Bank of Mum and Dad’ (BOMAD).

The campaign concepts focused on the type of lifestyle you could have in your own home, but would be difficult to experience if you are renting or living in your family home. In conjunction, we worked with our client and their media agency to establish what type of ads and the number of executions we would need for the three key stages of the sales funnel – awareness, consideration and conversion, plus retargeting.

Breaking with how traditional scheme-led advertising is done, we crafted a storytelling campaign based on plausible scenarios of living in an NHG home of your own. These scenarios were both playful and relatable, showcasing the owners and sometimes guests savouring the lifestyle they want.

In just four days, we filmed eight scenarios featuring eight models, a child and even a scene-stealing dog. We developed impactful, colourful ads for the different stages of the customer journey, blending paid social (58 social ads and videos), display ads, out-of-home (tube and bus sides), print and Metro advertising (takeover, display, newsletter, sponsored content and iPad ads). Ads were also targeted at the four NHG Homes London sales regions (North, South, West and East) and the specific areas of their schemes. Tailoring creative and messaging to different audiences empowered us to create a compelling and consistent narrative across all channels, driving engagement and leads.

Some scenarios included sharing your home with your dog (Choose a Canine Flatmate) and a plant lover with what feels like hundreds of plants in her home, many of which are hung from the ceiling (Choose Urban Jungle). Both scenarios are difficult, if not impossible, in a rental property and can be problematic when living in the family home, but are possible when buying with NHG Homes.