Universal truths are the foundation of relatability in advertising. Add humour to entertain and you have gained attention and another asset that benefits brands, warmth. ELVIS has made use of all these in its campaign for the Current Account Switch Service. Because otherwise, would people be riveted?
Life’s hard work. Switching bank accounts isn’t targets financially stretched 18-44 year olds navigating life’s biggest milestones – from starting university and moving home to buying property and starting families. The insight is that at a time when major life moments demand all their energy, this audience doesn’t have the mental bandwidth for more decision-making or time for additional life admin. Switching banks feels like hard work when it’s actually effortless with the Current Account Switch Service.
The campaign commercials were directed by Tim McNaughton through Arts & Sciences, proving humorously that while life has plenty of genuinely difficult moments – from the awkward end of a job interview to wrestling with fitted sheets – switching your bank account won’t be one of them. The Service automatically moves all regular payments including salary, rent and bills from your old account to your new one.
Dawn Lauder, brand and marketing lead at Pay.UK, commented, “We know that 18-44-year-olds are navigating some of life’s biggest moments right now, and many are financially stretched. The last thing they need is another complicated piece of life admin. But the reality is that switching bank accounts with the Current Account Switch Service is genuinely simple – all your payments move automatically. This campaign cuts through with humour that feels true to their lives, showing them that while we can’t make fitting a sheet any easier, we can make switching bank accounts effortless.”
Ross Newton, creative partner at ELVIS, added, “We are once again turning to humour to help land a serious message. Just the thought of another bit of arduous financial admin is enough to send a shiver through our audience. So instead of just telling our audience that switching banks won’t be difficult, we make it engaging, memorable and entertaining by relating it to other things in life that really are hard work. Thanks to Tim McNaughton and Arts & Sciences, and Nick Eagle and Curious, we deliver the universal truth that life is genuinely hard work, with a knowing smile. Expect to see a whole host of amusing, real-life struggles from interview decorum to negotiating with small children and conquering flat-pack furniture.”
Creative and media have been tailored to specific life moments when switching is top of mind, launching February 9 across VOD, YouTube, social, OOH (48 and 6-sheets), radio, host reads and digital takeovers.
Credits
Client: Current Account Switch Service
Agency: House 337
CCO: Josh Green
Creative Partner: Ross Newton
Creative: James Bougourd
Creative: Indi Morland
Producer: Trent Webster
HO Production: Laura Melville
Strategy Director: Rebecca Zhang
Senior Strategist: Isaac Blackborne
Client MD: Diane Gracie
Business Director: Sally Bishop
Senior Account Director: Rebecca Snaith
Senior Account Manager: Grace Baron
Project Director: Sarah Large
Design Director: Joe Chakravorty
HO Business Affairs: Julie Lagden
