Trying to get a pet fish to perform tricks is like trying to fit a square peg into a round hole, which is why The Current Account Switch Service is using the analogy to encourage customers to find a solution that suits them.

The humorous new campaign from House 337 follows a frustrated pet owner trying to teach his pet Spike to roll, sit and play dead only for the camera to pan and reveal that Spike is in fact a pet fish. The spot suggests that maybe a pet dog would suit the owner better. The campaign uses humor to draw parallels to financial admin, bringing to life the idea that many people end up with an account unsuitable to them and don’t know how easy it is to switch.

The campaign pokes fun at the way people often put off financial admin, when in reality having the right account can be easy. The campaign is part of the service’s new brand platform, ‘Maybe it’s time to switch.’

The campaign has been created with the help of House 337, with media planning by the7stars to target the 18-24 audience. The campaign does this with a light-hearted tone, making finance fun and switching simple.

The campaign also features OOH, social and press ads targeting mass consumer and SME audiences highlighting questionable trends such as bad orange tans and finger watches to show the importance of being flexible and able to switch. Murals in London Leeds, Manchester and Glasgow have been created by illustrator Sam Gilbey featuring Spike the fish. 

Finding fun in finance 

“Financial admin is really dull, and no one ever wants to think about it.” says Ross Newton, Creative Director at House 337, “So we created a defiant goldfish with jowls, put a spiked collar on him, and gave him a thumping soundtrack. What better way to get young people to consider whether their bank account is right for them or not!?”

By focusing on fun and humor, the campaign challenges conventions of finance advertising, to make things more appealing to young people and more accessible.

Alongside the wider media campaign online activity is planned to further engage the 18-24 audience, including a brand-first partnership with Twitch, titled ‘Learn to Switch on Twitch’. The partnership will help to demonstrate how easy it is to use Pay.UK’s Current Account Switch Service via branded livestreams from ‘ItSunpi’ and ‘Sideshow’. The streamers will share with their audiences the benefits of switching bank, showing how easy it is to switch, both in game and in real life, just like swapping an avatar skin.

"Engaging young adults in financial decision-making is a tough call, so we sought an idea rooted in the right environment, and most importantly, one delivered with authenticity. Twitch provided that platform. The synergy between gameplay and messaging allows Pay UK to reach audiences in a natural and entertaining way – it’s about delivering content that complements, rather than disrupts, gameplay.” added Ben Edwards, Strategy Director at the7star.

By engaging audiences through a range of different platform touchpoints and thinking creatively about how to make finance fun and accessible, Current Account Switch Service empowers audiences to take charge of their finances.