After the Experience: A look back at a brave activation in Waterloo Station highlighting financial scams

Back in January this year The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and M+C Saatchi Group UK launched a live experiential activation at London Waterloo Station that deliberately played on first impressions, curiosity and fine print to bring the message of its Firm Checker campaign to life. 

The activation launched as part of the FCA’s wider ‘Check if it’s real, before you seal the deal’ campaign, created by M+C Saatchi Group UK to promote the FCA’s Firm Checker tool.

The campaign was designed to position the FCA as the official place to go when people are making financial decisions, and to encourage checking whether a financial firm is genuine and authorised as a default behaviour before investing or borrowing. Installed overnight, the activation combined a large-scale physical billboard with an interactive, gold-finished ‘ATM’. The physical billboard is designed to blend seamlessly into its surroundings. From fake station posters and signage to an integrated bench and architectural detailing, every element was crafted to make the structure feel as though it had always been part of the station, rather than a temporary brand installation. Together, the billboard and ‘ATM’ drew people in visually from a distance before encouraging them to step closer and engage.

 As curious passers-by engage with the ‘ATM’, the experience subverted expectations. What initially appeared to be a giveaway began to feel uncomfortably like money is being taken rather than offered. At that moment, the machine opened to reveal Emil the Seal, who delivers the campaign’s core message and a literal fortune cookie, urging people to “Check if it’s real, before you seal the deal”.

The interaction was designed to make people question their assumptions and realise how easily surface-level financial promises can be misleading. The ‘ATM’ mechanic mirrored the tactics often used in investment scams. By tempting people with the idea of a quick reward and only revealing the reality at the last moment, the activation recreated the emotional journey that can lead consumers to overlook crucial checks. The moment of realisation turns that insight into a physical, memorable intervention. 

Emil the Seal, first introduced in the wider multichannel campaign, played a central role in anchoring the activation to the broader creative platform. Rather than acting as a traditional mascot, Emil functioned as a visual interruption, reinforcing the importance of stopping to verify whether a financial firm is genuine and authorised. 

Creatively, the activation reflected the campaign’s wider strategy of meeting people in everyday moments and interrupting behaviour rather than relying on awareness alone. While many consumers believe they are “doing their research”, the work highlights how easily, the crucial step of checking can be missed when something appears attractive or urgent. 

By staging the activation in a high-footfall commuter setting, the FCA and M+C Saatchi place the Firm Checker message into a real-world context where people are making fast decisions, reinforcing the idea that checking should be a default habit, not an afterthought. 

Miten Patel, Head of Campaigns and Events at the FCA, said: “Too often, people assume investment scams are something that happens to others. This activation is designed to challenge that assumption by recreating the moment where details are easily missed. By encouraging people to stop and use the FCA’s Firm Checker tool, we are reinforcing the importance of checking whether a firm is genuine and authorised before committing any money.” 

Guy Bradbury, Creative Partner at M+C Saatchi UK, said: “Scams work because they look legit, and people rarely stop to read the fine print. So, we drew people in with something familiar they use every day, a cash machine – but offering a fortune. We then flipped it, revealing the FCA’s new campaign mascot and a fortune cookie, before delivering a more serious message: check if a company is real before you seal the deal.” The activation forms part of the wider ‘Check if it’s real, before you seal the deal’ campaign, which is running across TV, VOD, OLV, social video, radio and PR channels in the UK. Media planning and buying is handled by MGOMD.

Following the campaign fieldmarketing.com asked Guy Bradbury to look back at the live experience and how this added extra impact to the integrated camapign.

Guy Bradbury, Creative Partner, M+C Saatchi Group UK told fieldmarketing.com:

“Whenever you bring a bold idea to life, especially one that’s never been done before – there’s nothing quite like seeing it out in the wild. Watching people gather, take photos, film, and queue around the block just to be part of the experience is where imagination becomes impact.
Of course you can only control so much. Inviting people to simply tap their card to receive a fortune cookie required real courage from our client partners – it was a leap into the unknown. But that’s what makes it powerful.
What I love about M+C Saatchi is the experience within the team. They take the guesswork out of these moments because they understand how people behave in real time. And in this case, revealing a six-foot seal delivered exactly the kind of impact we were aiming for.”