Pitch Marketing Group has been appointed by NatWest Group to lead the activation strategy in relation to its role as the Official Banking Partner of Team GB for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Pitch’s appointment follows a competitive pitch process in 2023.
The partnership will see NatWest Group and Team GB work together to champion the nation and get people throughout the UK on the starting block to taking positive action towards their goals.
The NatWest account is being led by Pitch’s dedicated sponsorship division, Pitch Partnerships, which has grown significantly in the last five years having delivered partnership strategy and activations for brands including cinch, Hyundai, Pokémon, TAG Heuer and Gallagher Insurance.
Whilst Pitch Partnerships will lead and implement the overarching strategy and activation platform, the campaign will be closely supported by the agency’s other divisions; notably Pitch Productions from a branded content perspective and Pitch Platforms on digital and social amplification.
The announcement of NatWest as a client follows the appointment of Abi Russell as Head of Partnerships, who joined the agency at the end of 2023 to spearhead further growth of Pitch’s partnerships division. Russell has a wealth of experience in sponsorship strategy and activation having previously held partnership roles at WPP-owned Mindshare and Wavemaker where she led on award winning sponsorship campaigns for clients including evian, Booking.com, Colgate, William Hill and Campari.
Abi Russell, Head of Partnerships at Pitch Marketing Group said; “I’m delighted to have joined Pitch at such an exciting time for the agency. We’ve got a solid strategic approach, combined with a culturally relevant activation campaign lined up for NatWest, one that will see the bank and Team GB champion the potential of the nation at a time when customers need it most. There is important work to be done as part of this partnership and an opportunity to create real legacy, so we’re looking forward what the next 12 months will bring.”
Marg Jobling, Chief Marketing Officer at NatWest, said; “Our partnership with Team GB is hugely exciting for us as a business, it is relatable and inspiring for all our customers, colleagues and communities across the UK and we’re excited to be working with Pitch to help bring it to life as our strategic partners. Since their appointment the Pitch team have been hard at work in collaboration with our in-house team to develop the strategic platform and direction for this partnership as well as a host of exciting activations – we’re looking forward to launching these in the public domain soon.”
Chris Allen, Managing Director of Pitch Marketing Group added; “The Olympics has been a huge part of Pitch’s DNA, so the whole agency is excited about getting back into this world and bringing NatWest’s partnership with Team GB to life. NatWest are incredibly ambitious, which we love, and has led us to a really exciting campaign which we can’t wait to share with the world in the coming months. There is no one better to lead our NatWest work, and the wider Pitch Partnerships team, than Abi.”
Notes to Editor
Pitch Marketing Group is a 100% employee-owned creative communications agency that builds brands people are passionate about. Founded in 2002 by Henry Chappell as the UK’s first specialist passion agency, it offers industry-leading earned-first expertise in sport, entertainment, consumer and culture. Pitch offers creative solutions and dedicated in-house teams across PR & Influence, Branded Content, Social & Digital services and Sponsorship Strategy & Activation.
