Launching a new bank is a delicate business, especially an English bank in a country with some, shall we say, “history” (about 800 years’ worth).

Irish audiences are uniquely sensitive to lazy tropes and half-arsed copy coming from their bigger neighbours, so striking the right tone was essential.

MONZO BANK – IRELAND LAUNCH

How to make the English neobank sound authentically Irish?

Working closely with Monzo’s writers, brand managers and strategists, I developed the Monzo tone of voice for Ireland, giving the much-loved Monzo personality an Irish accent that was more Daniel Day-Lewis than Gerard Butler.

I created the Irish toolkit for Monzo writers to use in future, with detailed instructions on the correct use of “craic” and “grand”, as well as brand dos and don’ts (like not mentioning Oliver Cromwell).

With those guidelines in place, I wrote the copy for the Irish launch, everything from headlines and webpage copy to CRM and card-carrier copy.