Twenty of the UK’s leading financial services firms have launched a major new national ad campaign, designed to drive a fundamental shift in how Britons think about investing.
The “Invest for the Future” activity has been created in partnership with M&C Saatchi and marks the start of a multi-year industry-wide effort to build a true culture of investing in the UK.
Bringing together the country’s largest banks, platforms and financial services firms, alongside the Investment Association and supported by the Government, the Financial Conduct Authority and the Money & Pensions Service, it represents a unified push to address the nation’s long-standing reluctance to invest.
The brief was to go beyond communications and create a movement capable of changing behaviour at scale. With only just over a third of UK adults agreeing that “investing is for someone like me”, the challenge was to break down entrenched barriers, reframe perceptions and make investing feel relevant, accessible and rewarding to millions who have never considered it before.
At the heart of the strategy is a clear insight: the majority of Britons in the target audience do not see investing as something for people like them. The campaign is specifically aimed at 18- to 65-year-olds in the UK with over £10,000 in savings who do not consider themselves to be ‘investor types’, despite already demonstrating positive financial behaviours through saving.
The UK remains a ‘share shy’ nation, ranking 20th globally, with only around a third of people expressing a willingness to invest in the future, according to YouGov. This is compounded by fear of losing money, lack of knowledge and a sense of being overwhelmed by the number of choices available.
The campaign reframes investing as the natural next step from saving, breaking down financial goals into simple, achievable actions and anchoring new behaviour to something people already do. By positioning investing as a progression rather than a leap, it aims to build confidence and encourage more people to take that next step.
To bring this to life, M+C Saatchi has reimagined one of the most recognisable symbols of saving: the squirrel. The campaign introduces the Savvy Squirrel; a confident, calm and considered character who has already taken the next step into investing. In contrast to the traditional anxious, short-term saver, this squirrel is no longer chasing interest rates, but takes a more relaxed, long-term view of money. His witty and wise personality is designed to resonate with a broad audience and capture attention in a category that can often feel complex or intimidating.
The campaign unfolds across two sequenced phases designed to guide audiences from initial curiosity through to confident action. Phase one, running from April to August, introduces the Savvy Squirrel through radio and digital audio, display, paid social and a dedicated microsite, using accessible, bite-sized content to begin reshaping perceptions of investing. Phase two, launching in the autumn, builds on this momentum with TV and DOOH, while continuing activity across audio, digital and social to reinforce and deepen engagement.
Each channel plays a distinct role, working together to move audiences along a clear journey, from not seeing themselves as investors to feeling ready to take the next step. By meeting people in the environments they already trust and engage with, the campaign delivers relevant, motivating content designed to build confidence over time. Every interaction ultimately directs audiences to a microsite, where they can access simple, educational resources to support their investing journey.
The launch is supported by a high-profile event at the London Stock Exchange, including a Market Open and conference. Additional activity, developed with communications agency Lansons, takes Savvy Squirrel out of financial settings and into everyday life to encourage more open conversations about investing.
This begins in Manchester with the launch of ‘Savvy Cabs’, the first phase of a longer-term programme rolling out to cities across the UK, including Leeds, Bristol, Cardiff, Norwich and Glasgow. In each location, the campaign will bring investing into everyday environments, from taxi journeys to high streets and local businesses, connecting those who already invest with those looking to take the next step.
The campaign will run across TV, radio, digital audio, social, display, search, DOOH and online video, with media handled by the7stars.
Investment Association chief executive Chris Cummings, who is also deputy chair of the Retail Investing Campaign, said: “There is clear demand from millions of savers who want to do more with their money, but do not always feel confident about where to begin. This campaign is about supporting them with straightforward information and helping them understand how investing works in practice.
“Sitting alongside a range of reforms and initiatives, this is a significant opportunity to shift the UK towards a more confident, long-term investing culture. By improving understanding and encouraging more open conversations, we want more people to feel that investing is relevant to them and to take the next step when it is right for their circumstances.”
M&C Saatchi Group UK creative partner Guy Bradbury added: “We set out to change behaviour at scale. We took one of the nation’s most recognisable savings tropes, a squirrel, and deliberately subverted it. Out went the anxious creature, forever scrambling for the next best return. In came the Savvy Squirrel, evolved, self-assured, and playing a different game entirely – one who has taken the next step with his money. By reimagining a familiar icon, we’ve created a simple, disarming way to reframe how people think about money.”
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