first direct Blows It's Own Trumpet Across London

first direct has launched a bold new campaign to celebrate being named Which? Banking Brand of the Year 2026. The campaign, which was concepted and executed through VML UK, takes the phrase "blowing your own trumpet" literally by putting a giant inflatable trumpet inside a branded glass-sided van and driving it across London.

The mobile van, built by experiential agency We Love This, has been on a tour of major capital landmarks including Buckingham Palace, Big Ben and the London Eye. The van is emblazoned with the tongue-in-cheek tagline "we hate to blow our own trumpet, but we've won Which? Banking Brand of the Year" to underscore the impressive accolade from the UK’s leading consumer champion brand with the public.

To further amplify the stunt, VML UK developed an entire social-first campaign around the core idea. An AR filter, accessible across TikTok and Meta platforms, invites audiences to share their own reasons to "blow their own trumpet" for the chance to win a £100 voucher. The participatory element is further backed by paid social and strategic influencer partnerships, with creators taking real trumpets to the streets and encouraging the public to share their biggest wins of 2026.

Alice Tabberer, Marketing Leader at first direct: “As a nation we’re pretty terrible at blowing our own trumpets, so when first direct was named Which? Banking Brand of the Year 2026, we decided to do the opposite, while encouraging members of the public to do the same. It’s built great momentum for our brand, but ultimately the award and the shoutout goes to our people who are picking up the phones and helping our customers every day.”

Anna Jobbins, Creative Director, VML UK: “It’s not easy getting your award wins noticed, but winning Which? Banking Brand of the Year deserves some noise. We worked with our brilliant client first direct to create something properly unmissable and turning a well-worn phrase like 'blowing your own trumpet' into, well, a massive trumpet. It’s simple, funny, does a great awareness job and shows people that this brand has the backing of the UK’s biggest consumer champion. The icing on the cake is giving others the chance to share their wins too, something we should all be doing a bit more of.”