The Brief

Netflix approached us with a simple yet punchy brief: develop a winning tagline for Bank of Dave, a heartwarming underdog true story that balanced social realism, economic rebellion, and northern wit. The chosen line would sit front and centre on promotional materials—including the key art—and had to capture the soul of the story while drawing in a broad UK audience.

The final line selected was:

He’s taking on the big boys.

It delivered exactly what it said on the tin: a working-class hero challenging the financial elite. But behind that clean, punchy sentiment was a multi-layered development process that explored tone, genre, and socio-political subtext.

Research & Strategic Thinking

To write one good line, you sometimes need to write fifty.

Before pitching any taglines, I immersed myself in the film, its source material, and its cultural context. That meant:

• Watching the full film and reviewing early scripts for tonal fidelity

• Researching Dave Fishwick’s real story interviews, articles, and community commentary

• Mapping out emotional and structural arcs: What’s the story underneath the story?

• Studying similar genre films (Pride, The Full Monty, Made in Dagenham) for stylistic and tonal inspiration

• Analysing audience data and cultural sentiment around banking, cost-of-living, and regional identity in the UK

The challenge was threading the film’s triple appeal:

• Social purpose (financial justice)

• Underdog charm (small town hero)

• Commercial appeal (rom-com and courtroom drama elements)

Conceptual Development

I explored numerous strategic angles, each tied to a unique story pillar.

Community Hero / power of one

• One man. One bank. One bloody good idea.

• Change doesn’t come from boardrooms.

• The best interest is public interest.

• Built by Burnley. For everyone.

Class Clash / Underdog Spirit

• Burnley vs. the bankers.

• He’s taking on the big boys.

• No silver spoon. Just brass balls.

• Working class. World class.

Feel good justice

• The system is rigged. He’s rebooting it.

• Justice. Compound daily.

• The bank’s closed. Dave’s open.

• Big heart. Bigger overdraft.

Based on a true story

• This actually happened. Sort of.

• He didn’t start a bank. He started a movement.

• You couldn’t make it up. But someone did.

The copy

Here are a few other options.

• He’s making change.

• It pays to give a damn.

• Banking on better.

• One lad. Two fingers to the City.

• He’s in the business of doing good.

• In the interest of the community.

• Where community is the currency.

• The people’s banker.

• A loan wolf with a cause.

• No interest in your excuses.

• Dave’s open for business. And everyone’s invited.

• Banking, the way it should be.

• Built on grit. Not greed.

• A little hope. A big fight.

• Good things come to those who graft.

• You can’t buy integrity. But you can bank with it.

• He took on the bankers, and brought Burnley with him.

• Interest rates just got interesting.

• Your move, London.

• From Burnley, with backbone.

• Your overdraft couldn’t do this.

• When the system breaks, fix it yourself.

• The best interest is people.

• Northern values. National impact.

• It’s not Robin Hood. But it’s close.

• He’s starting a bank. From scratch.

• Local lad. National fight.

• Not your average bank.

• He’s banking on better.

Reflections & Takeaways

While the final line leaned into a populist, approachable tone, my development process helped navigate multiple tonal routes, from satirical to sincere. My job wasn’t just to come up with taglines, but to stress-test the messaging strategy, align it to the emotional heart of the story, and champion lines that captured both the cause and the character.

The selected line worked well in poster format and social media, but I remain proud of the depth behind the shortlist that got us there.