National Australia Bank taps neuroscience and creativity to capture attention

National Australia Bank (NAB) is creating “memory encoding” moments that ensure their digital campaigns resonate deeply with target audiences. 

Why it matters

With significant pressure on marketing budgets and a need to ensure cut through to audiences, creativity must work hand-in-hand with understanding how human attention works on a neuroscience level. 

Tackling the attention challenge

At SXSW Sydney, in a session titled “Accountability in the Attention War”, NAB’s Michelle Martinis explained NAB’s approach is not limited to understanding attention alone but involves using different formats and creative techniques, especially as the brand is increasingly looking to digital platforms to boost brand preference.

• The bank is focusing on creating new distinctive brand assets to help consumers remember the NAB brand when choosing a new financial service provider. 
• Forming a constant “test and learn” environment for new creative campaigns, across all media channels is vital to delivering high engagement rates.
• This includes a move to creating “unskippable and unmissable content”, rolling out distinctive brand assets and applying humour, joy, and interesting camera angles to grab consumer attention in a bid to get people to switch to NAB. 

Reframing media metrics and measurement for creativity

• Attention in advertising is now moving beyond optimisation and cost to creating distinctive brand assets and brave creative work, said Mindshare Australia Chief Product Officer Gavin Gibson. 
• Tik Tok Head of Agency ANZ Andrew Cambridge added that in the battle for positive media metrics, it’s important to remember that consumers want to see advertising as another entertainment channel, and not a “30 second wait to see the content that they want”. 

Key quote

“It’s about finding natural, native and authentic ways to insert our brands into those passion points for Australians. It continues to evolve as new and novel ways of doing things emerge” – Michelle Martinis, Head of Marketing, Home Ownership, at National Australia Bank (NAB).

Author: Duncan W Craig