Fish Whisperer

The Current Account Switch Service and House 337 have launched a humorous new campaign featuring a frustrated pet owner who may have to rethink his choices.

The campaign aims to tackle the issue that many people tend to avoid financial admin and push it out of their minds. It uses a funny and relatable analogy intended to get people thinking about whether they have the right bank account and, if they don’t, show them how easy it is to switch. It is the third execution from the service’s new brand platform, “Maybe it’s time to switch”.

The latest AV execution features a young man trying to teach his pet, Spike, to roll, sit and play dead, only to reveal that Spike is, in fact, a goldfish - and maybe a pet dog would suit him better.

Created by House 337, with media planning by the7stars, the “Fish Whisperer” targets the 18-24 audience and highlights the importance of finding a current account that suits your needs and, when you do, knowing that you can switch easily with the Current Account Switch Service.

House 337 also enlisted illustrator Sam Gilbey to create murals in London, Leeds, Manchester and Glasgow featuring Spike the fish.

Ross Newton, Creative Director at House 337, said: “Financial admin is really dull, and no one ever wants to think about it. 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!?”

The campaign also includes OOH, social and press ads targeting mass consumer and SME audiences, highlighting questionable trends, such as bad orange tans and fingerstaches.

House 337's colleagues at MHP Group are also launching extensive social activity featuring exclusive content from the Service and a range of Influencers encouraging their audiences to consider switching their accounts.

Anthea Hughes, Marketing Business Partner at Pay.UK, owner of the Current Account Switch Service, said: “2023 saw us celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Current Account Switch Service and over 10 million switches since the start of the service, it’s wonderful to see our new brand platform develop with the “Fish Whisperer”. We hope the campaign encourages more personal and business account holders to consider switching if their account is no longer working for them.”

Alongside the wider media campaign, curated by the7stars, online activity is planned to further tap into the 18-24 audience, including a brand-first partnership with Twitch. ‘Learn to Switch on Twitch’, demonstrates just how easy it is to use Pay.UK’s Current Account Switch Service via branded livestreams from ‘ItSunpi’ and ‘Sideshow’ which air on Twitch on the 17th and 18th January. The streamers will discuss the benefits of switching bank accounts whilst demonstrating how easy it is to switch, both in game and in real life, just like swapping an avatar skin.