Fintech has had its share of celebrity checkout campaigns, but few casting choices have done as much strategic work as this one.
Paze has signed Elizabeth Banks and Gabrielle Union for its new campaign, playing on the actors' surnames to emphasize its bank and credit union backing.
The ad series highlights faster online checkout with added security, since consumers' full card numbers are not shared during transactions.
"Paze. It Checks Out" spans four video spots, connected TV, digital video, and social media.
The campaign arrives as Paze expands across merchants including Domino's, Dunkin', and Wendy's, with more than 200 million credit and debit cards added to the wallet.
"When your campaign stars Elizabeth Banks and Gabrielle Union, you try not to overthink it," Serge Elkiner, GM of Paze, said in a press release.
"But the connection works because the product does too. Consumers want online checkout to feel simple, secure, and streamlined."
The work reflects how fintech brands are using celebrity marketing to cut through a category where product differences are hard to communicate.
Fintech Embraces Hollywood
The comedic spots lean into Banks and Union's surnames while connecting them to Paze's brand positioning.
The actors humorously deliver self-aware commentary about the unlikely coincidence.
The films focus on common checkout frustrations, including password fatigue and manually entering payment details.
The digital wallet positions itself as a faster checkout option connected to cards consumers already use.
"The campaign has this playful energy, but underneath it is something really relatable: people want checkout to feel easy and secure," Gabrielle Union said.
The approach follows other fintech ads that favor celebrity-driven storytelling:
- PayPal's work with Will Ferrell
- Venmo's work with Rachel Sennott and Jordan Firstman
- Venmo's work with Patrick Schwarzenegger and Aimee Lou Wood
Personality-driven creative gives payment brands a way to stand out on recognition alone.
For Paze, Banks and Union make its value proposition legible in a visual joke, which is something most fintech campaigns spend entire budgets trying to achieve.
Checkout Friction Still Costs Billions
Checkout experience remains one of the biggest revenue gaps in eCommerce.
Brands continue to search for ways to reduce friction and improve conversion during checkout.
According to Digital Applied, cart abandonment averaged 70.19% globally in 2025, representing roughly $260 billion in recoverable revenue in the U.S. alone.
One-tap payment methods reduce the mobile abandonment gap by 35%, making speed a direct conversion lever.
The campaign points to what actually moves consumers in fintech:
- Familiarity reduces hesitation. Brands should connect new products to methods consumers already trust to increase adoption.
- Convenience drives conversion. Marketers should remove checkout friction and highlight speed benefits to improve completion rates.
- Entertainment improves recall. Teams should use recognizable talent to make functional products easier to remember.
Brands are increasingly using entertainment-led marketing because trust and convenience are competitive advantages that are simple to communicate.
Our Take: Can Humor Sell Payment Products?
Yes, especially when the joke reinforces the product benefit.
The strongest part of the campaign is that the celebrity casting is directly connected to the value proposition.
Banks and Union are not simply recognizable faces. They reinforce Paze's connection to banks and credit unions in a way consumers can remember.
Getting consumers to remember the brand is only half the battle.
Paze still needs to show up at the checkout screen before the awareness compounds into actual adoption.
Looking to strengthen brand awareness in financial services?
Explore these top fintech digital marketing agencies that help brands communicate trust, security, and customer value.
