- Monzo launched "Get Busy Living," its first global brand platform, on July 27, 2026, narrated across ten cinematic single-shot films by Olivia Colman.
- Directed by Daniel Wolfe and created by BBH London, it's Monzo's biggest-ever integrated campaign, spanning cinema, TV, streaming, radio, social and a major out-of-home takeover of London's Piccadilly Lights.
- This marks Monzo's first campaign built around a major celebrity name, arriving after the bank passed 15 million customers and raised marketing spend 46% to £143.1m in FY26.
- The rollout also introduces Monzo's first sonic identity and a tie-in with Davina McCall's Begin Again podcast.
Monzo has enlisted Olivia Colman for its biggest advertising push yet. On July 27, 2026, the digital bank unveiled “Get Busy Living,” its first global brand platform, with the Oscar-winning actress narrating ten cinematic, single-shot films.
Directed by Daniel Wolfe, the filmmaker behind O2’s “Walk” ads, and created by BBH London, the films follow small, ordinary moments: sneaking home after a date, a dad dancing with his daughter after bath time, singing along in a van.
Monzo itself barely appears, showing up briefly on screen while features like Salary Sorter and Joint Accounts quietly handle the money in the background. Colman delivers the line “When your money’s in the right place, you can be too,” ahead of the closing tagline, “Monzo. Get busy living.”
This is Monzo’s biggest integrated campaign to date, running across cinema, TV, streaming, radio, social and one of the bank’s largest-ever out-of-home takeovers, including Piccadilly Lights and Waterloo.
The push also debuts Monzo’s first sonic identity and extends into a partnership with Davina McCall’s Begin Again podcast. Group CMO AJ Coyne said the aim is “giving people the time back, to focus on the people, passions and moments that matter most.”
This is new ground for Monzo. Its last above-the-line campaign, in 2024, had no celebrity face; “Get Busy Living” is its first fronted by a major star, alongside existing sponsorships of Coventry City FC and The Hundred cricket tournament. It lands as Monzo passed 15 million customers and grew marketing spend 46% to £143.1m for FY26.
For Colman, it’s her latest high-profile brand tie, following her October 2025 turn as the face of Burberry’s outerwear campaign, in which she played a string of London characters.
Banks leaning on star power isn’t new. Bank of America recently tapped David Beckham for its “Street of Dreams” short film, while Chime has built a run of celebrity-led spots, from John Cena’s “U Can’t Fee Me” to Lindsay Lohan’s “Welcome to 30” campaign.
Takeaways
Monzo betting big on Colman signals a shift in how challenger banks want to be seen: less about spreadsheets, more about the life the money enables.
Handing narration duties to one of Britain’s most beloved actresses, rather than plastering its logo across every frame, is a deliberate flex of restraint from a brand that spent over a decade being the loud disruptor.
It also reads as a maturity play. With 15 million customers and marketing spend up 46%, Monzo isn’t chasing early adopters anymore, it’s chasing mainstream trust, the same audience Bank of America and Chime are courting with their own star-studded campaigns.
Does casting Olivia Colman as narrator, rather than an on-screen spokesperson, make banking feel more human, or does it risk making the message harder to remember? With banks increasingly leaning on A-list narrators and ambassadors, is celebrity trust becoming the new interest-rate war?
