Pay UK, the organisation which runs the Current Account Switch Service (CASS), is teaming up with emerging Gen Z artist Nova May to encourage 18- to 24-year-olds to take greater control of their finances and consider switching to a bank account that is better suited to them.
The new activity is the first to be launched by Wonderhood Studios since it acquired the creative division of Elvis (formerly House 337) in July. Elvis devised the “Call the Shots” brand platform last September.
The initiative aims to build on the success of this work, which last year delivered the biggest jump in awareness from a single campaign in the CASS’s history.
For 2026, Wonderhood has evolved the platform to reframe switching from tedious, forgettable financial admin into a power move – a simple way for young people to take greater control of their money and “level up” their banking.
The strategy is designed to respond to a generation that craves greater control but often feels life happens to them, while many remain unaware that they can easily switch their current account.
At the same time, this cohort are quick to filter out advertising that feels irrelevant to them – particularly traditional banking communications. So, rather than simply buying their attention, Wonderhood has set out to captivate them by creating entertainment they would actively choose to spend time with.
At the heart of the campaign is Nova May’s original track, Level Up, created with music supervision from Resister. Written and performed in Nova’s own style, the song weaves the CASS’s core messages into its lyrics, turning the mechanics of switching into a track about putting yourself first, taking control and making a change for the better.
The accompanying music video, directed by Femi Oladigbolu through Prettybird, sees Nova move through a series of playful, surreal worlds inspired by gaming and the idea of levelling up.
Blending live action with 2D and 3D animation, the film brings the track’s message of progression and control to life while deliberately eschewing the conventions of traditional financial services advertising.
The approach builds on a principle established in the first year of ‘Call the Shots’: rather than behave like a bank campaign, behave like a music release. This year, the idea has evolved beyond a campaign line to become the organising principle for the wider work, designed to generate new talent, stories, content and collaborations while consistently connecting back to the control switching can give consumers.
Pay UK head of communications Nicola Hamilton said: “For many young people, their first current account is something they’ve simply always had, rather than something they’ve actively chosen. We want them to know they don’t have to stick with an account that no longer works for them.
“The CASS makes switching free, simple and guaranteed, and ‘Call the Shots’ brings that message to life in a way that we hope feels relevant, entertaining and empowering.”
The campaign will run across TV, VOD, cinema, YouTube, online video, social, digital, OOH and radio, alongside influencer activity.
Media planning and buying by the7stars builds on the campaign’s entertainment-first approach, embedding CASS in the content and experiences 18- to 24-year-olds actively choose. Centred around music, socialising and entertainment, the plan launches by targeting university students during Freshers, before broadening to the wider 18-24 audience.
Activity includes music and entertainment genre targeting across Prime Video, Disney+ and Netflix, Vevo VOD, a bespoke Snapchat Lens, contextual online video, audio and social, alongside OOH including bus wraps across university cities.
A partnership with LadBible, “Switch Up The Session”, will extend the idea through music-led social content and audience participation, bringing the campaign’s switching message into spaces where young people are already engaging with music and entertainment.
Wonderhood Studios creative partner Ross Newton commented: “Nobody in our Gen Z audience is waiting for an ad about switching bank accounts to drop, so we wanted to make something worthy of their attention.
“‘Level Up’ explains how the CASS works and the benefits of taking control of your banking, but frames it as a high-energy financial glow-up. By telling that story through a banger of a track and a full-on mixed media music video, we hope to truly captivate our audience.”
The7stars account director Helena Maidlow added: “Young people aren’t hard to reach – the challenge is earning their attention. Last year we planned around how 18- to 24-year-olds naturally consume media; this year we’ve gone further, focusing on what they actively choose to spend time with and talk about.
“From our LadBible partnership to placing the campaign alongside the music and entertainment they love, we’re making the Current Account Switch Service part of the content they’re already engaging with, rather than interrupting it.”
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