This horror ad captures the nightmare of waiting for your paycheck

Spot from fintech brand Current plays on one of your worst fears

Published On
Oct 29, 2021

Editor's Pick

Picture it: you finally have time off work to go on a trip with friends. Better yet, your adventure starts on payday, so you’re loaded and ready for a good time. You go to withdraw some cash at an ATM. "Insufficient funds," it reads. Your work deposit is still pending. This is the terrifying reality of a young trio in “2 Days in Hell,” a new ad from mobile banking service Current.

The ad’s initial montage of the three young travelers is set to fun, whimsical music and appears to be shot selfie-style on their phones. The music stops when their car breaks down. The service station is cash only and that’s when the horror begins. The protagonists don’t use Current and can’t access their paychecks yet. “You never know what can happen when you have to wait to get paid,” says text that cuts between scenes with a boom. A menacing figure appears outside the car and begins to terrorize the travelers. 

“Give me my money!” screams one character as she slams her hands against an ATM.

Current's pitch is that it offers access to paychecks up to two days faster than traditional banks, as well as overdraft up to $100 without overdraft fees, no hidden fees and no minimum balance requirements. The average age of the service’s 3 million users is 27, inspiring the campaign’s camp horror style and cast, which includes TikTok influencer Flossybaby. The ad, created in-house, is just the latest in over 1,000 partnerships Current has conducted with young creators.

Credits

Date
Oct 29, 2021
Client :
Current
Founder/CEO :
Stuart Sopp
VP of Marketing :
Adam Hadi
Head of Brand Creative :
Steve Peck
Executive Creative Director Writer :
Josh DiMarcantonio
Executive Creative Director Art :
Cyrus Coulter
Senior Brand Designer :
Vincent Fileccia 
Director of Integrated Marketing :
Jackie Lambert 
Senior Manager Offline Performance Marketing  :
Karina Rhem 
Influencer Marketing Manager :
Emma Quigley
Director of Communications :
Erin Bruehl
Production :
Greenpoint Pictures
Director :
Ghost + Cow
DP :
Lukasz Pruchnik
Owner :
Michael Kuhn
Executive Producer :
Tatiana Rudzinski
Executive Producer :
Trevor King
Head of Production :
Karen Berkowitz
Line Producer :
Dan Lubell
Post Producer :
Victoria Vallas
Editor :
Geordie Anderson
Composer / Sound Design :
Nathaniel Contreras
Audio Mixer / Sound Design :
Calvin Pia
Colorist :
Mathew Rosenblum
After Effects :
David Etkin
Online :
Thomas Zoranski
Online :
Greenpoint Pictures
Talent :
Jay Love Flossy Baby
Talent :
Bella DeLong
Talent :
Garrett Gallego

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