Why The FCA is Devoted To Creativity

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has become an unexpected creative hotbed for ideas-led ads in recent years. Earlier this year it released its first work with brand character Emil the Seal to help prevent investment fraud. Then go back almost a decade to when it released a campaign fronted by an animatronic head of Arnold Schwarzenegger to promote PPI.

Its latest campaign continues that streak of surprise — swapping sober financial messaging for slow‑motion, action‑movie‑style car‑bonnet slides to encourage drivers to Feel Claim Confident and use the FCA’s motor finance redress scheme. It taps the element of surprise with slow motion action car bonnet slides to encourage car owners to Feel Claim Confident and use its motor finance redress scheme.

All of this work has been created with long‑term agency partner M&C Saatchi. In this Q&A, Miten Patel, campaigns and events team manager at the FCA, and Regan Warner, ECD at M&C Saatchi UK, discuss how they brought the latest campaign to life — and why leaning into a touch of Michael Bay‑style spectacle is helping the FCA cut through apathy and drive real behaviour change.

Can I start by asking how were the bonnet slides done? Were they green screen or were any effects used?

Regan: It’s real — and here’s something I’ve never done before: we hired stunt performers as our actors. It’s common in films, but it always feels like something that happens “over there” in another world. For this, though, we needed to make sure no one got hurt. Sliding over a car bonnet once might not seem that hard. Doing it repeatedly, safely to get the perfect take, that takes real skill.

So we looked for stunt performers who could also act. Their casting tapes were the best I’ve seen in my entire career. I’ve never laughed so much — people were in their gardens, jumping over tables, sofas and bins because they didn’t have cars to demonstrate on. For the proper casting session, we brought in a car so people could prove they could actually do it. Saying you can is one thing; showing you can is another.

Our hero, Paul, was a standout from his casting tape. He wore his dad’s sweater, which happened to be the colour of the FCA, and filmed himself in this beautiful golden light, actually sliding over the bonnet of his car at home in slow motion. Honestly, it was a perfect representation of exactly what we wanted the film to be. There was no question, he was going to be our hero talent.

And the whole cast were incredible. There was Donna, who could bonnet-slide repeatedly with absolute grace. Then you’d ask her to add a bit of sass and she’d just nail it. She’s our main talent across all the press assets. Rachel, our older talent, almost did a split leap as she was bonnet-sliding. Then there was Puranjay, who’s into parkour and would do it so fast we could only really see what he’d done on the replay. And don’t even get me started on our perfect pooch, Rolo, who would jump on command and hit his mark every single time.

What was the challenge that prompted the campaign?

Miten: This wasn’t the first wave of activity for the campaign — we’d already run earlier advertising — but the core challenge remained the same. The FCA’s motor finance redress scheme relies on consumers initiating their claims, so our job was to motivate people to take that first step and provide the details firms need to compensate them. It’s a low‑interest, high‑apathy area, and we’re very aware of that. We drew on learnings from previous work, including the PPI campaign — you might remember the Arnold Schwarzenegger tank‑track head — which taught us that creativity has to work much harder in the regulatory space.

So the creative starting point was already baked into our organisational thinking: whatever we made had to be surprising, distinctive and capable of jolting people out of indifference. We needed something with enough creative punch to get consumers to notice, engage and begin the claims process. That context shaped everything we developed for this campaign.

We’ve pushed the creativity on this campaign because it’s essential in a low‑interest, high‑apathy environment like financial services and regulation. We’ve taken the same approach on other campaigns too, because we know that only a high level of creativity can cut through and get people to engage.

The brief was pretty simple really; raise awareness of the Motor Finance Compensation Scheme. We’re in a slightly complicated position as an organisation because the scheme is being challenged by some lenders, and that’s all in the public domain. But the executive team was clear that, regardless of how those legal challenges play out, we needed to keep consumers focused on starting the claims process. Initiating a claim is still essential, whatever ultimately happens with the scheme.

What are the metrics in that you're looking for?

Miten: On this campaign, our priority is building awareness of the FCA as the trusted authority — the organisation consumers should recognise and rely on in this space. With so many claims‑management companies operating, we needed to differentiate ourselves and position the FCA clearly as the credible source of guidance.

We’re tracking website metrics closely: increases in traffic from people coming to us as the starting point for their claim, downloads of the claims letters on our site, and how consumers move through the user journey to initiate that process. Those are the key indicators we’re monitoring right now. Ultimately, the focus is on driving claim volumes through the firms we regulate, and we’ll assess that once we start receiving data back from those firms within the scheme’s scope.

So where did the agency begin to answer the brief?

Regan: The subject matter is undeniably dry, as Miten said, and we could easily have made a straightforward instructional ad: here’s the scheme, here’s how to make a claim. But that wouldn’t stand out — especially when consumers are bombarded with messages from claims‑management companies saying “no win, no fee” and “we can help you.” So we flipped the perspective. Instead of focusing on the process, we asked: what does confidence in your finances feel like once you’ve taken action?

That’s where the creative leap happened. We were already talking about cars, so the team asked: what’s the most confident, standout thing you can do with a car? One of the creatives — Ben or Andy — said “bonnet slide.” I’m American, so I still say “hood slide,” but the moment the idea landed, we knew it embodied the feeling we wanted: Claim confident.

We still explain the process, but we do it simply and quickly, so the audience gets to the emotional payoff — the feeling you have once you’ve initiated your claim and downloaded your letter. From the moment “bonnet slide” was said, the idea gathered momentum. And when we presented it to the clients and they laughed, that was magic. You know instantly that the idea cuts through and they’re genuinely on board.

Miten, why did you laugh?

Miten: To be honest with you, we're generally laughing all the time when these guys are presenting ads. So that's a good sign, right?

Regan: We didn’t end up casting that type of person, but one of the early contenders was a man wearing a turban wearing aviator sunglasses — just an ordinary guy you’d see at the supermarket — doing an absolutely epic bonnet slide. That contrast between the everyday and the extraordinary made the visual unforgettable.

Miten: The ad is fantastic — the bonnet‑slide idea captures confidence perfectly — but we also did a lot of research before getting there. We wanted to understand what consumers actually needed to feel able to start the claims process. What came through strongly was a lack of belief: people weren’t sure they could initiate a claim themselves or that compensation would genuinely come back to them. There was also real nervousness about navigating a crowded, confusing landscape of companies offering to “help” with claims. That insight was crucial. It told us we needed to give consumers clarity, reassurance, and a sense of agency — and that’s what shaped the creative direction.

Can you talk a bit about the shoot? What were the logistics of bringing this to life?

Regan: We reached out to several directors, and David Wilson at Biscuit came back with a pitch that stopped us in our tracks. He said he wanted to make it “[Michael] Bay‑tastic” and we were all like, “shut the front door”. His point was simple: we already had an epic visual in the bonnet slide, so why not take a cinematic approach and amplify it? Treat it like a movie, not an ad.

He wanted every shot to matter — no throwaway cutaways, no functional coverage. Just low‑angle, slow‑motion, beautifully composed moments that swoop and glide like something out of The Rock. A piece of pure entertainment that keeps you watching, surprises you, delights you, and makes the confidence feel larger than life.

So you get a director with a bold vision, a treatment that has creatives running around the agency saying, “Have you seen this?”, and clients who immediately get it and say, “We’re on board. Let’s go.” Then you take this big, cinematic idea to a shoot in England… and it rains the entire day.

It could have stopped us, or at least thrown a major obstacle in the way. Instead, because we were shooting in ultra slow motion, David and our DOP, Simon, immediately reframed it as an advantage. They saw the rain as added drama: slow‑motion droplets layering texture and atmosphere into every frame. And they were right — the footage looks better than you’d ever expect from a full day of rain.

We also had multiple characters who needed to feel like they were in different places across the UK. Normally, that’s simple — you just shoot in different spots. But when it’s raining everywhere, you have to get creative. We grabbed moments of dry weather, shot angles that suggested sunlight, and later added a touch of blue to the sky to lift the grey. It’s the kind of challenge that becomes an opportunity when you’re working with the right partners. Nothing is a roadblock — it’s just something to solve, and often something you can turn into a bigger creative win. That’s exactly what they did.

So it was all done in one day?

Regan: Yes, one day.

So, how do you build on on this then?

Miten: To be honest, what don’t we do? This campaign gives us a strong platform for future waves of activity. Once we see how this phase performs and what the learnings are, we’ll look at whether we need creative adaptations, new assets, or a refreshed approach. I’ve actually got conversations with our media planning partners later today to start mapping out what comes next.

We’re in an unusual moment, because we’re still mid‑burst on this activity and I’m keen to understand its performance before we lock in the next phase. The wider complication, of course, is that the scheme itself is still subject to legal challenge. Once that’s resolved — in whatever direction it goes — we’ll have a much clearer environment to operate in. The uncertainty has created internal challenges about how far we can plan ahead, but once the scheme is settled, we’ll be in a far stronger position to shape the next stage of the campaign.

So, it’s a concept that has potential to run much longer?

Miten: The reality is that if the scheme is ultimately stood up, there will likely be a formal deadline for consumers to finalise their claims — just as there was with PPI. In that scenario, the campaign would run until that cut‑off point. If, however, the scheme doesn’t go ahead and I genuinely can’t comment on the legal position — we may continue the campaign for a longer period, perhaps at a lower level. It’s difficult to give a definitive answer because there are so many unknowns we simply can’t control. What I can say is that we’re keen to keep the momentum going, even if the exact shape of that continuation depends on how the legal situation resolves.

How do you plan long-term then? Can you?

Miten: You can’t plan long‑term because we’re essentially waiting for the next stage gate to clear. The big one on the policy side is the outcome of the legal challenge and where the scheme ultimately lands. That’s the point we’re planning towards right now. This was never designed to be a long‑term campaign — it’s meant to drive action over a short, concentrated period. The PPI campaign ran until August 2019, and this follows a similar principle: a short, sharp burst of activity that prompts people to act. That’s exactly where we are with this. We need to be able to respond to to what's happening in a sort of wider context of the redress schemes.

How long did this take to pull together then, from start to finish?

Miten: Not long at all, to be honest. From brief to funded production, it was maybe twelve weeks at most. A really short turnaround.

Regan: Yeah, it was about twelve weeks — a really tight turnaround. And honestly, that can be a good thing. When you’ve got a bit of pressure, the creative energy sharpens. Maybe it’s a hangover from university deadlines, but there’s something about a condensed timeframe that forces you to trust your gut, move quickly and avoid overthinking.

The first stretch is always a hustle: get some ideas down, get some pixels on a page, start shaping the thing. But once it’s moving, the speed becomes an advantage. There’s no time for the work to get picked apart or diluted. Logic doesn’t creep in and smother the passion. You just get it in, get it made, get it out — and then see how consumers respond. That’s where the real learning comes from, and that’s what you take into the next campaign. So in the end, twelve weeks was a good amount of time.

Could you tell me what the experience of working with M+C on this has been like?

Miten: Honestly, it’s been a joy. Properly good fun. It’s felt like a genuine collaboration from start to finish. There were things we wanted to do in a particular way, and things M+C wanted to do, but we always found a way through together. I’ve never once felt the agency push back with a flat “absolutely not” — it’s been a receptive, open partnership on both sides.

We’re committed to delivering the highest level of creativity we can across all our campaigns. That’s essential for us because we operate in a low‑interest environment — naturally, as a regulator — and we don’t have anything to sell. We’re not a commercial organisation. So when we do work like this, we know it needs a partner who understands that creativity has to work harder at every stage. And the agency is absolutely right to challenge us when we’re not holding ourselves to that standard. That’s what makes the work better.

Regan: I think it’s because the FCA team already set a path for solving your challenges with creativity — and that gave us licence to have fun. If you’d been operating in a beige space and suddenly handed us a brief, it would have been a very different dynamic. But you’ve already Crayola-coloured your world; you’ve shown that creativity is how you tackle problems. That meant we could shoot for the stars. Whatever wacky idea we brought back, you were open to it. You’d say, “Yeah, let’s do that.” And that kind of openness is pretty awesome.

It’s still early days but what are you monitoring then when it comes to feedback right now?

Miten: Internally, the response has been really positive — senior leadership has been genuinely receptive. The main feedback we’re focused on now is the data: website analytics, behavioural indicators, and the post‑campaign tracking survey once this phase wraps. Those KPIs will tell us whether we’ve driven awareness, recognition and, crucially, the action we need — getting people to check their eligibility on the FCA site and begin the claims process.

The other reason we’ve pushed for such a high level of creativity is that it sets us apart from the rest of the market — particularly the CMC providers. This territory feels wholly and authentically FCA because it’s not a space those companies typically play in. Their work tends to sit firmly at the performance‑marketing end of the spectrum, focused on driving sheer volume. Our approach gives us a distinctive position and a creative language that’s uniquely ours.