At the heart of this campaign for Pay.UK Current Account Switch Service (CASS) is a playful yet relatable narrative, brought to life in the hero TV commercial, “Blind Date.” Directed by Rosie May Bird Smith of Biscuit Filmworks for agency House 337, the spot follows a woman nervously meeting her blind date, only to discover the person waiting for her is someone you definitely wouldn’t want to meet on a blind date. The voiceover reassures: ”Blind dates. They’re a bit like switching bank accounts. You don’t want any surprises. That’s why we guarantee there won’t be any when you switch with the Current Account Switch Service.”
“Everyone knows the pain of a bad date, the gut-churning realization you’ve texted your boss instead of your mate, and being stuck next to someone eating the world’s stinkiest lunch,” said Ross Newton, creative director, House 337, who added, “Life is a minefield of unwanted surprises, so coming up with the campaign idea was the easy part. The real challenge was deciding which situations to include and which to ditch. Sadly, these scenarios are all too relatable for us all, myself included.”
Credits
Client Pay.UK Current Account Switch Service (CASS) Agency House 337 Josh Green chief creative officer; Ross Newton, creative director; Caitlin Chakraborty, Indi Morland, Nick Coates; Gabriella Kohli, creatives; Matt Sanders, head of design; Joe Chakravorty, design director; Nick Dinnen, sr. motion designer; Rebecca Zhang, strategy director; Sam Chapman, sr. strategist; Victoria Fisher, head of delivery & integrated production; Laura Melville, sr. producer. Production Company Biscuit Filmworks Rosie May Bird Smith, director; Adam Oyejobi, producer; Shawn Lacy, founding partner; Rupert Reynolds-Maclean, managing director; Hanna Bayatti, Katie Keith, exec producers; Emily Ahterton, head of production; Nanu Segal, DP; Sarah Jenneson, production designer; Wiz Francis, costume designer; Emma Garrett, casting director; Eve Coles, hair & makeup artist. Editorial TenThree Beth Roberts, editor; Puck Van Dijk, edit assistant; Maya Kilic, edit producer. VFX, Color & Sound No.8 Toby O’Connell, online; Johnny Tully, colorist; George Castle, sound engineer; Lisa Fox, VFX, color & sound producer.
For the global EX30 Cross Country launch, Volvo and creative agency Forsman & Bodenfors wants to de-dramatize the outdoor experience--and remind people that small trips into nature can be grand experiences.
Cross Country is Volvo’s concept of turning their regular cars into more outdoor-capable versions, with higher ground clearance, all-wheel drive and other features making it more capable and off-road ready. And now, the compact, fully electric EX30 becomes available as a Cross Country version. It’s a small car designed for big experiences, made to elevate both urban living and outdoor adventure, and to bring people closer to nature.
“With Volvo being such a human-centric brand, it felt natural to focus on the human side of nature. The child’s perspective became the perfect metaphor for this, to spend time in nature on nature’s terms,” said Karl Risenfors, creative at Forsman & Bodenfors.
In a category that often portrays epic journeys deep into the wilderness, the campaign serves as a reminder that even everyday adventures can be memorable experiences. Thus this launch spot--directed by Marcus Ibanez via production company New-Land--shows nature through the point of view of a child. A child’s imagination and perspective generates a visual metaphor for the magic that nature can bring, no matter the scale of the adventure.
