"Good With Money"

7 April 2026

60s

Grit and pearls.

Director Sara Dunlop is currently in a rich vein of form and this ad for Starling Bank is another lustrous pearl formed from the gritty oyster of real life. Lily Allen's 'The Fear' provides the perfect musical backdrop for a series of vignettes that has ordinary people offering first-rate financial tips... which vary from the completely relatable to the downright niche.

Editor Dominic Leung has fulfilled his role with great aplomb, helping Dunlop to conjure a sweet confection from beautiful chaos resulting in a film that projects a level of authenticity which helps the audience recognise that this is a bank that understands their travails.

It's a very positive message, and very refreshing for a bank to tell us what they are rather than what they're not - a tendency which feels like it's both the first and last resort of many financial institutions these days. (If you are a banking marketer who thinks all your rivals are rogues, what does it say about your entire sector?)

Starling have set out an entirely different stall... and it feels like something that's definitely going to appeal to anyone who hopes that their bank is willing to back them, rather than back them into a corner.

UK

Banks