Challenge

ERNIE, Electronic Random Number Indicator Equipment, is the power behind NS&I’s Premium Bonds. Generating the numbers for 476.5 million tax-free prizes worth approximately £20.5 billion.

In 2019, ERNIE was upgraded to the next generation – ERNIE 5. Unlike previous versions which used thermal noise to produce random numbers, ERNIE 5 is powered by quantum technology, which uses light. This new technology allows ERNIE to produce enough random numbers for a monthly prize draw in just 12 minutes – 42.5 times faster than its thermal predecessor at the end of its number-generating career.

Our challenge was to announce the launch of ERNIE 5 across multiple owned channels; and use this as an opportunity to excite and engage customers and non-customers, to ensure continued interest and investment in Premium Bonds.

Strategy

We started by immersing ourselves in the world of Quantum RGN (random number generation). Using light and mirrors, quantum RGN is the only type of random number generator to guarantee a truly unbiased and unpredictable system. Without blinding people with science, we looked at how we could harness the power of light and mirrors and turn it into a language our audience would understand.

Solution

We developed the concept ‘The Power of Premium Bonds’; a call to action for audiences to feel engaged and excited about this one of a kind savings product. ERNIE 5 demanded a launch with high speed technology, movement and energy at its heart. So, we developed a sting to describe the abstract journey of light accelerating through glass, culminating in a celebratory crescendo of numbers exploding onto the screen.