In September 2025 Santander made the Dig In Welcome Bag its own. 500,000 students arriving at university received their Welcome Bag as a Santander cotton tote, with a Santander leaflet inside. Santander’s End of Campaign Report 2025 found that 96% of students surveyed were still carrying the tote weeks later (n=50,000). Students also shared more than 10,000 photos of it. For a bank, that is a branded object in daily use on campus from the first week of university.
The brief
Santander Universities wanted students to meet Santander in their first week at university, in a way they would remember, and to find Santander Open Academy. Most students arrive with a bank account already. The task was to be useful in the weeks when their money first becomes their own.
What we did
We made the 2025 Welcome Bag itself a Santander cotton tote. Each tote reached a student as they arrived at university, packed with the other brands in that year’s bag and a Santander leaflet pointing to Open Academy. Because the tote is reusable, students could keep using it long after the first week.
The result
All figures below come from Santander’s End of Campaign Report 2025 and are credited to Santander.
500,000
Santander cotton totes delivered as the Welcome Bag, 2025
96%
of students still carrying the tote weeks later, n=50,000, 2025
10,000+
student photos of the tote shared, 2025
What it means for brands like yours
You do not need a product to sample to use the Welcome Bag. A bank, a network or a retailer can brand the bag or the insert and reach students in their first week. A reusable bag keeps working after that week, on campus and on the high street. Ask what your brand could put in a student’s hand that they would still carry a month later.
Questions
What did Santander do with Dig In in 2025?
Santander made the Freshers 2025 Welcome Bag a Santander cotton tote. 500,000 totes went to students arriving at university, each with a Santander leaflet inside.
Did students keep using the Santander tote?
Yes. Santander’s End of Campaign Report 2025 found 96% of students surveyed were still carrying the tote weeks later (n=50,000). Students also shared more than 10,000 photos of it.
Can a bank or a non-food brand use the Dig In Welcome Bag?
Yes. A brand can supply a product, an insert, or the bag itself. The bag reaches 500,000 students each September in 1,000+ halls across 90+ towns and cities in the UK and Ireland.