TikTok Stars Open Takeaway Takeover to Help First Year Students Prepare for University

The Romans has partnered with the world’s largest building society, Nationwide, to open the doors to NationFried; a high-street takeaway takeover designed to help students munch their way to independence. 

Dishing out life advice and mouth watering tenders from behind the counter were TikTok superstars GK Barry and Harry Pinero who shared relatable anecdotes to wide-eyed students, and shed light on their own experiences of university life. 

The new campaign, the first following The Roman’s appointment as Nationwide’s consumer PR agency of record, was created to mark a number of new perks to the building society’s FlexStudent bank account, including £120 of Just Eat vouchers.

The lively interactions between Barry and Pinero as they threw on their aprons and worked alongside the NationFried ‘bossman’ to serve up food to hungry students were captured in a film released as part of the campaign directed by Romaine Reid, alongside photography taken by DB Captures. 

Richard Warren, director of brand, marketing and corporate affairs at Nationwide said, “Flying the nest for the first time and starting University can be both an exciting and daunting time. We believe a student bank account should help young people live their best life at university, which is why we wanted to mark the arrival of these brand-new perks in a way that would really grab the attention of this audience. When The Romans came to us with the idea of a high street takeaway takeover like no other, we knew we were onto a winner.” 

Dan Roberts, creative director at The Romans said, “Banking doesn’t have to be boring and it’s a relief to finally work with a client who agrees. Nationwide isn’t afraid to tear up the rulebook and ‘NationFried’ is proof. The aim was to bring to life the enviable benefits of the FlexStudent account, with the most compelling being a family bucket full of Just Eat credit. Turning a student account into a hype chicken shop isn’t an everyday occurrence but it should be, and all you need to make it happen is a brave client, an award winning production partner, a client team that always goes the extra mile, talent that believe in the idea and most importantly, an OG Bossman ready to serve some of the best fried chicken in the city. Period.”