Dream Big, Staysure
Overview
The travel insurance sector (especially for over 50s) had become visually and emotionally stale. Same stock images, same clichés. Older people laughing at nothing in particular, wandering through golden hour, as if that’s all they did. Staysure wasn’t exempt. The brand had grown, but visually and tonally, it was blending into the beige.
Worse still, across the industry, the way we talked to older people was patronising. As the Dream Big campaign brief highlighted, many were being pigeonholed by age, not celebrated for it. The reality? This generation was still going on adventures, still exploring, still themselves – and they deserved to be seen that way. The ask was to reinvent the brand with a strong message that empowered our customer base and reminded people that age is just a number.
Categories
Creative Direction
Brand identity
AI
Client
Staysure
Date
2025
Process
From day one, we set out to flip the narrative. No more smiling-for-no-reason stock photography. No more watered-down tone. We wanted realness. Energy. Personality. Because that’s what our audience have in spades.
Photography & Visuals
Instead of pixel-perfect studio shots, we wanted photography that felt like it had been printed at Boots in the 90s – warm, imperfect, alive. Stylistically, we used a soft, nostalgic colour profile and applied a subtle film grain to give everything a timeless, tactile feel. Not artificial or overly retro – just a nod to the kind of holiday snaps you might may have in a photo album on the shelf.
Typography
I chose a dual-typeface system that balanced expressiveness with clarity.
DM Serif Italic gave us our big energy. Bold, playful, and intentionally oversized, it tucked behind and wrapped around images, creating momentum and visual flair.
Acumin Pro brought structure. Its flexibility meant we could use it everywhere from big headlines to legal copy – all while keeping everything crisp and legible.
AI in the Workflow
This was my first chance to fully integrate AI throughout a campaign. Carefully I used ChatGPT for competitor analysis and brand tone benchmarking (without ever sharing sensitive data). Midjourney became a powerful tool for testing visual directions early, helping me explore different photography treatments before shoot. Figma, coupled with spreadsheet-driven templates, allowed us to automate asset rollouts. One core design, 50+ variations done in minutes.
Bringing It to Life Across Channels
The campaign was designed to be big and bold at every touchpoint:
TV: Crafted to generate talkability and PR, the ad mirrored our audience’s lives – not a parody, but a celebration.
Social & Owned: We made it easy for our customers to see themselves in the work – and many did, emailing in and sharing online with heartfelt thanks.
DRTV, print, radio, DM: Each one delivered the same punch, underpinned by the same powerful visual and verbal identity.
Takeaways
While it’s still early days for the Dream Big campaign, the reaction has been positive. Social channels and inboxes lit up with genuine responses from customers who felt seen.
That kind of emotional connection is priceless and rare in financial services.
We trusted the audience to get it. And they did. We built a campaign that reflects the truth: our age doesn’t define our ambition – only our attitude does.
Metrics will come, and I’m confident they’ll follow the sentiment. But for now, it’s already clear that Dream Big is more than just a campaign. It’s a mindset shift – for the brand, and for our customers.
Dream Big, Staysure
Overview
The travel insurance sector (especially for over 50s) had become visually and emotionally stale. Same stock images, same clichés. Older people laughing at nothing in particular, wandering through golden hour, as if that’s all they did. Staysure wasn’t exempt. The brand had grown, but visually and tonally, it was blending into the beige.
Worse still, across the industry, the way we talked to older people was patronising. As the Dream Big campaign brief highlighted, many were being pigeonholed by age, not celebrated for it. The reality? This generation was still going on adventures, still exploring, still themselves – and they deserved to be seen that way. The ask was to reinvent the brand with a strong message that empowered our customer base and reminded people that age is just a number.
Categories
Creative Direction
Brand identity
AI
Client
Staysure
Date
2025
Process
From day one, we set out to flip the narrative. No more smiling-for-no-reason stock photography. No more watered-down tone. We wanted realness. Energy. Personality. Because that’s what our audience have in spades.
Photography & Visuals
Instead of pixel-perfect studio shots, we wanted photography that felt like it had been printed at Boots in the 90s – warm, imperfect, alive. Stylistically, we used a soft, nostalgic colour profile and applied a subtle film grain to give everything a timeless, tactile feel. Not artificial or overly retro – just a nod to the kind of holiday snaps you might may have in a photo album on the shelf.
Typography
I chose a dual-typeface system that balanced expressiveness with clarity.
DM Serif Italic gave us our big energy. Bold, playful, and intentionally oversized, it tucked behind and wrapped around images, creating momentum and visual flair.
Acumin Pro brought structure. Its flexibility meant we could use it everywhere from big headlines to legal copy – all while keeping everything crisp and legible.
AI in the Workflow
This was my first chance to fully integrate AI throughout a campaign. Carefully I used ChatGPT for competitor analysis and brand tone benchmarking (without ever sharing sensitive data). Midjourney became a powerful tool for testing visual directions early, helping me explore different photography treatments before shoot. Figma, coupled with spreadsheet-driven templates, allowed us to automate asset rollouts. One core design, 50+ variations done in minutes.
Bringing It to Life Across Channels
The campaign was designed to be big and bold at every touchpoint:
TV: Crafted to generate talkability and PR, the ad mirrored our audience’s lives – not a parody, but a celebration.
Social & Owned: We made it easy for our customers to see themselves in the work – and many did, emailing in and sharing online with heartfelt thanks.
DRTV, print, radio, DM: Each one delivered the same punch, underpinned by the same powerful visual and verbal identity.
Takeaways
While it’s still early days for the Dream Big campaign, the reaction has been positive. Social channels and inboxes lit up with genuine responses from customers who felt seen.
That kind of emotional connection is priceless and rare in financial services.
We trusted the audience to get it. And they did. We built a campaign that reflects the truth: our age doesn’t define our ambition – only our attitude does.
Metrics will come, and I’m confident they’ll follow the sentiment. But for now, it’s already clear that Dream Big is more than just a campaign. It’s a mindset shift – for the brand, and for our customers.
Dream Big, Staysure
Overview
The travel insurance sector (especially for over 50s) had become visually and emotionally stale. Same stock images, same clichés. Older people laughing at nothing in particular, wandering through golden hour, as if that’s all they did. Staysure wasn’t exempt. The brand had grown, but visually and tonally, it was blending into the beige.
Worse still, across the industry, the way we talked to older people was patronising. As the Dream Big campaign brief highlighted, many were being pigeonholed by age, not celebrated for it. The reality? This generation was still going on adventures, still exploring, still themselves – and they deserved to be seen that way. The ask was to reinvent the brand with a strong message that empowered our customer base and reminded people that age is just a number.
Categories
Creative Direction
Brand identity
AI
Client
Staysure
Date
2025
Process
From day one, we set out to flip the narrative. No more smiling-for-no-reason stock photography. No more watered-down tone. We wanted realness. Energy. Personality. Because that’s what our audience have in spades.
Photography & Visuals
Instead of pixel-perfect studio shots, we wanted photography that felt like it had been printed at Boots in the 90s – warm, imperfect, alive. Stylistically, we used a soft, nostalgic colour profile and applied a subtle film grain to give everything a timeless, tactile feel. Not artificial or overly retro – just a nod to the kind of holiday snaps you might may have in a photo album on the shelf.
Typography
I chose a dual-typeface system that balanced expressiveness with clarity.
DM Serif Italic gave us our big energy. Bold, playful, and intentionally oversized, it tucked behind and wrapped around images, creating momentum and visual flair.
Acumin Pro brought structure. Its flexibility meant we could use it everywhere from big headlines to legal copy – all while keeping everything crisp and legible.
AI in the Workflow
This was my first chance to fully integrate AI throughout a campaign. Carefully I used ChatGPT for competitor analysis and brand tone benchmarking (without ever sharing sensitive data). Midjourney became a powerful tool for testing visual directions early, helping me explore different photography treatments before shoot. Figma, coupled with spreadsheet-driven templates, allowed us to automate asset rollouts. One core design, 50+ variations done in minutes.
Bringing It to Life Across Channels
The campaign was designed to be big and bold at every touchpoint:
TV: Crafted to generate talkability and PR, the ad mirrored our audience’s lives – not a parody, but a celebration.
Social & Owned: We made it easy for our customers to see themselves in the work – and many did, emailing in and sharing online with heartfelt thanks.
DRTV, print, radio, DM: Each one delivered the same punch, underpinned by the same powerful visual and verbal identity.
Takeaways
While it’s still early days for the Dream Big campaign, the reaction has been positive. Social channels and inboxes lit up with genuine responses from customers who felt seen.
That kind of emotional connection is priceless and rare in financial services.
We trusted the audience to get it. And they did. We built a campaign that reflects the truth: our age doesn’t define our ambition – only our attitude does.
Metrics will come, and I’m confident they’ll follow the sentiment. But for now, it’s already clear that Dream Big is more than just a campaign. It’s a mindset shift – for the brand, and for our customers.
