FCA: Check if it’s real
In 2025, fraudsters in the UK stole over £1.17 billion, often by posing as fake companies. So the Financial Conduct Authority created the Firm Checker, a tool to help the public check whether a business is real, regulated, and authorised.
To launch it, we gave the public a wake-up call. Or more accurately, a wake-up slap. The campaign introduces Emil, a seven-foot animatronic seal who appears the moment an investment is about to happen, physically interrupting people seconds before possible peril.
THE CASE STUDY
WATERLOO STATION ACTIVATION
Featured in: Campaign “Trending” | Little Black Book | Ads of the World | Muse by Clios | Best of Ads | Best Ads Top 6 | AdForum | Little Black Book “Behind the Work” | Creative Review | Financial Promoter | Investment Week | More About Advertising | Ads of Brands | Roast Brief | Marketing Now | PR Week | JM Finn | Creative Brief | Shots |
MEET EMIL
Seven feet of pure, animatronic charisma.
We built him because, well, the world clearly needed a life-sized mechanical seal that can slap some sense into us gullible humans.
Designed, sculpted, and engineered with far too much love (and trial and error), Emil now stands proudly as our most expressive teammate, and seal-ification of the FCA Firm Checker.
Senior Art Director: Billie Gurr
Senior Copywriter: Tom Lander
Director: Thomas Ormond
Creative Partner: Guy Bradbury
Production Company: ProdCo
Post/VFX: Magic Numbers
Seal Build: Millenium FX
