I think that’s my point. I get the imagery, but a new or potential customer really won’t get it unless they’ve got mates already signed up.
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I think you’re asking exactly the wrong person.
I’ve been thinking very very hard trying to recall an advert that I cared about. I have failed.
For the record, I’m not trying to persuade anyone that the advert is good or bad (I don’t care), just offering what I think is the rationale behind it.
One thing, though. This thread has started to discuss it and they say that all publicity is good publicity, so it has had some success already.
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With all due respect, this is a forum for financial technology…it’s quite niche. 
We’re probably not representative of the general population and most of us are already familiar with Monzo.
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I suspect this will be banned pretty quickly after it’s broadcast (if it is). Subliminal advertising has been banned in the UK since 1957.
And ‘twas broadcast this evening. 
Saw Monzo add on YouTube today.
Popping up in a few locations it seems.
I wonder what the return will be 
Anyone signing up for the fee-paying accounts, or mainly free version.
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That ship has sailed for me. 
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It was first broadcast on ITV on Sunday apparently. I’ve seen it twice on broadcast TV.
Why would it be banned?
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On first view I thought it was a subliminal advertisement (rapid imagery) but now I’m not so sure.
Either way I don’t think it’s very good.
The Regulation of Unfair Practices in TV and Radio Advertisements
5.4.5 Subliminal advertising
No advertisement may use images of very brief duration, or any other
technique which is likely to influence viewers, without their being fully aware of
what has been done
I was under the impression that if the advertising was subliminal you wouldn’t have noticed it.
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Well the ASA have a definition which includes “use [of] images of very brief duration”. I’ve logged a complaint with them, see what they have to say.
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Who are you with now?
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Reverted to Starling for all main (important) banking - with Chase in the background with their 5.1% saver (which’ll be reviewed in November when their rate drops).
Monzo long ago rendered me a poor fit for them (CASSing surely didn’t help) tried a couple of times to rejoin but realised I was pursuing something I didn’t actually want to use.
The advert doesn’t change that viewpoint.
I have accounts with all three. Each serve their own purpose, for me.
“No advertisement may use images of very brief duration, or any other technique which is likely to influence viewers, without their being fully aware of what has been done”
It’s blindingly obvious what’s going on in this ad. Your complaint is a waste of everybody’s time.
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You’ve misread the statement but either way I can live with your judgment ducky x
I would be devastated to lose my 100% upheld or partially upheld complaint streak tho…
To you maybe, no doubt to most of us on this forum, but the ad imparts no actual information and is fundamentally a waste of time. Therefore, getting the ad banned may give people a minute of their lives back.
However, if it was subliminal surely I’d somehow be less indifferent to Monzo as an entity. Clearly it didn’t have the desired effect.
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Going by the folks in this thread, it seems to be the opposite!
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If it was subliminal, and subliminal advertising was proven to work at all (and it isn’t) and it was effective for you personally.
The ASA can’t make a judgment on the latter 2, but they can adjudicate that the advertisement deploys subliminal marketing techniques - for example rapid imagery, and at one point showing a rotating spiral.
I note that Monzo are only using this campaign for 8 weeks. I presume a potential banning (which would take about that long to happen unless the ASA move far quicker than I’ve known them to in the past) is part of “the plan”; see also Nationwide’s recently banned ad about branch closures.
In which case, you’re welcome Monzo. You can DM about the lifetime’s supply of weekly sausage rolls whenever you like.
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Would you mind sharing their response when you get it please? I’m curious what they find.
The ASA are much faster than the bodies like the ombudsman in my experience, investigating and responding to complaints in a matter of days as opposed to weeks and months. The resulting action can take months to implement though.