APS Group will provide creative, content and production support to Nest Corporation, the UK’s largest workplace pension scheme by membership

APS Group has been appointed by workplace pension scheme Nest Pensions to provide integrated creative support across production, content and design services.

Under the agreement, the global marketing services business will become Nest’s Creative Production Overflow Studio Partner – working closely with its in-house team to manage high demand while maintaining quality and brand consistency.

The partnership covers a plethora of services across their multichannel digital and printed communications, with APS providing end-to-end support from briefing and planning through to final delivery for Nest, the UK’s largest workplace pension scheme by membership.

Operating as an extension of Nest’s internal creative function, APS will combine a dedicated account management team with access to a wider network of creative specialists, enabling the organisation to scale support quickly and efficiently as requirements evolve.

James Lawton-Hill, Marketing and Agency Director at APS Group, said: “We’re delighted to be supporting Nest and its in-house creative team.

“By combining our creative expertise, production capabilities and technology-enabled workflows, we’re able to provide a scalable solution that integrates seamlessly with internal teams and supports delivery across a wide range of communications channels.”

The partnership will be underpinned by APS Group’s structured delivery methodology, covering briefing, planning, development, production, delivery and continuous improvement. Supported by digital workflow technology, the approach provides clear governance, project visibility and quality assurance throughout the full production process.

The appointment builds on APS Group’s extensive experience supporting organisations across the public sector, financial services and regulated industries, delivering high-volume communications, creative production and digital content services at scale.

In addition, APS will also support Nest’s wider objectives through a programme of social value initiatives focused on skills development, inclusion and community engagement.

Pippa Strutt, Director of Brand at Nest Pensions, said: “With one in three workers in the UK saving with Nest, we have a unique opportunity to help people engage with their pensions. We want pensions to be accessible, understandable and relevant to everyday life. As savers look for engaging information about their retirement savings, it’s vital that we can create high-quality content at the scale and pace our 14 million members need.

“APS demonstrated a strong understanding of our environment and the importance of delivering high-quality outputs across a wide range of channels. We look forward to working together to support our teams and continue delivering clear and relatable communications that help savers connect with their pensions..

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Nick Watmough sits within our Creative Agency as Senior Copywriter where he creates concepts, establishes tone of voice and crafts content for clients across a wide range of platforms. Before joining APS, Nick worked in journalism, an experience that helped shape his keen eye for detail and passion for great writing.

From bringing creativity to content for our government clients to developing a simple idea into a fully-fledged campaign, Nick enjoys finding the right words to connect with audiences and bring ideas to life. We’ve taken some time to get to know Nick a little better below.

How did you fall in love with your creative job?

I think the moment where my role finally ‘clicked’ for me was learning to love the small jobs. As a copywriter, I have a chance to inject tonnes of personality into even a single social post. Finding those small ways to introduce more interesting tone of voice or creative expressions are what keep my job fun.

What was the best piece of advice you got early on?

Keep it simple, stupid! Writing is really a reductive form of creativity – you can keep drafting and editing and rewriting something until the cows come home, but after a certain point you aren’t really making the work any better. Of course, it’s great to present our clients with lots of ideas, but I find the most obvious solution is usually the most appropriate. The simpler, the better.

What sort of briefs or projects do you find more fun to work on personally?

I personally enjoy the more conceptual projects. Not just because they’re a chance to flex the creative muscles and invent exciting concepts out of thin air. But mostly because they’re a great chance to collaborate, bringing together the whole team, all bouncing ideas off one another.

What are the biggest challenges for the creative industry?

I can’t speak for the whole industry, but I think the biggest challenge facing copywriting is of course AI – but more specifically, understanding its limits. It can feel like there’s suddenly limitless creative potential available at the click of a button, but once you look a little closer, a lot of the copywriting being done by machines is kind of rubbish! The future is definitely going to be humans and AI working side by side, rather than a total takeover.

Who is your creative hero and what is it about their work that inspires you?

My creative hero is David Foster Wallace – author of Infinite Jest. It’s a very long and very difficult book, sort of infamous for being so challenging to read – he’d probably have made a terrible copywriter! But he manages to make even the most mundane human interactions feel electric. Highly recommend, if you’re up for it.

What example of their work particularly stands out?

I guess I already answered that above – Infinite Jest. DFW also wrote a book of essays about lobsters and cruise ships, called Consider the Lobster. Pretty weird stuff.

What do you think the misconceptions about your industry are?

That AI can replace human creativity. I mentioned this earlier – it absolutely helps in lots of amazing ways, but it will never be a substitute for simple, honest, human thinking.

What are your thoughts on AI? How are you using it in your work?

Wow I should really read these questions ahead of time rather than answering them by accident already! I find AI really useful to generate variations on a theme – for example, I might come up with a catchy headline, but then want to try 20 different variations with slightly different sentence structures. Usually about 18 of them aren’t very helpful, but every now and then it will spark a more interesting turn of phrase!

Any advice for those aspiring to enter your industry?

For aspiring writers, read The Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr. and then also read Ogilvy on Advertising by David Ogilvy. And then read literally anything else you can get your hands on! You can’t write if you don’t read.

What’s one thing outside of work that always inspires your creativity?

Painting Warhammer miniatures. I am a huge nerd and can lose hours and hours carefully highlighting the eyebrows on a green skinned Ork. Cool, right…right?

Learn more about our Creative Agency here.

Last week, we joined the industry at MAD//North 2026, a two‑day festival that brought together a brilliant mix of brands, agencies and creatives from across the North of England and beyond. Set in Manchester’s buzzing St John’s creative district, the event had a real sense of shared purpose with open conversations, practical ideas, and an atmosphere that reminded us why collaboration matters so much in our industry.

As part of our membership with the Alliance of Independent Agencies, we pitched up in the Indie Agency Club. People stopped by to chat, catch up, share challenges, and, much to our delight, loved picking up our Northern Soul–inspired tote bags and posters, all illustrated by Enzo from our creative team, in line with the event theme.

Thoughtful Conversations & Useful Insights

Mad//North had a strong focus on ideas that feel practical, grounded and genuinely helpful for marketers navigating 2026. Our Marketing & Agency Director, James Lawton‑Hill, attended several sessions, each offering something valuable to bring back to the team. Highlights included:

• Domino’s sharing how their AI‑driven DomiCam helps ensure quality across selected stores — a simple example of tech being used purposefully.
• Jonathan Warburton reflecting on his personal involvement in the brand’s campaigns, and how storytelling (even with Hollywood talent) only works when it feels authentic.
• Currys showing how sustainability can become an integral part of a campaign strategy without losing sight of commercial goals.
• How Berghaus tapped into Manchester’s cultural energy to capitalise on the Oasis effect
• Tips from Yorkshire Tea around how they use humour and the warmth of their brand to get clear conviction in their messaging
• Morrisons focus on insights in their aisles rather than the boardroom to inspire authentic communications

Reflecting on the event, James said:

“Mad//North had a really open, collaborative feel, celebrating the best of what the North has to offer. The event proved what world-class talent we have in the region, which was evident across the range of sessions delivered throughout the day.”

Evidence of Northern Soul in all parts of the event

A clear theme that came up in a lot of our conversations was that, “teams are being asked to do more with less, and AI is increasingly becoming the tool that helps streamline processes and free up time – but how do you navigate that appropriately? Budgets are tight, and people are looking for smarter ways to optimise without compromising creativity.”

However, there was also a real sense of community, with brands wanting to collaborate, share ideas and explore new ways of working.

Events like Mad//North always give us a chance to pause, listen and learn. A few themes emerged that align closely with how we already partner with clients:

• Creativity grounded in clarity and purpose
• Technology that enhances the work, not overshadows it
• Sustainability is becoming part of everyday decision‑making
• Regional creativity continuing to influence national and global brands

For us, the value lies in bringing these perspectives back into our work: helping clients navigate change, shaping ideas with substance, and staying connected to the conversations shaping marketing today.

If you’d like to talk to us about how we can support your next campaign or project, we’d love to chat.

Take a closer look at our Creative & Content services here