Airwallex is betting that B2B finance does not have to feel like B2B finance. In its latest campaign with Arsenal FC, the global payments platform leans into football culture, celebrity storytelling, and community conversations to make complex financial infrastructure feel relatable.
This article explores how “Who Are Ya?” reframes cross-border payments through fandom, why this matters for brand storytelling in fintech, and what marketers can learn from blending culture with category education.
Table of contents
Jump to each section:
- What is Airwallex’s “Who Are Ya?” campaign with Arsenal
- Why Airwallex is using football culture to explain B2B finance
- What marketers should know about culture-led B2B storytelling
Patrecia Meliana
What is Airwallex’s “Who Are Ya?” campaign with Arsenal
Airwallex has launched “Who Are Ya?”, a two-minute advertising film created with Arsenal FC and directed by filmmaker Spike Lee. The campaign represents the company’s largest investment in UK sports marketing to date.
Set in a North London pub on matchday, the film features a mix of football legends, current players, and entertainment figures including Thierry Henry, Rachel Yankey, Kai Havertz, and Aaron Pierre.
The creative premise is simple but unconventional: football fans discussing complex financial topics like global transfers and payments, highlighting how deeply supporters already engage with the economics behind the sport.
The campaign will run across Sky channels and social platforms, rolling out in phases tied to key football moments such as the end of the season, the 2026 World Cup, and the next Premier League cycle.
This push builds on Airwallex’s broader partnership with Arsenal, where it serves as the club’s Official Software Partner, supporting global payments and financial infrastructure.
Patrecia Meliana
Why Airwallex is using football culture to explain B2B finance
At its core, the campaign challenges a long-standing assumption: that B2B finance is inherently niche and unengaging.
Airwallex flips this by drawing a parallel between football fandom and financial systems. Fans already understand transfers, contracts, and global flows of money. The campaign simply reframes those instincts in a business context.
This aligns with Airwallex’s broader “Build the Future” positioning, which emphasizes removing barriers to global growth and modernizing financial operations.
From a strategy perspective, this is less about awareness and more about accessibility. Instead of simplifying the product, Airwallex contextualizes it in a familiar environment.
There are three notable strategic moves here:
- Cultural anchoring: Football becomes the narrative layer that makes finance relatable
- Community credibility: Arsenal’s global fanbase acts as a trust bridge
- Creative authority: Spike Lee’s involvement adds storytelling depth and cultural weight
This is a shift from traditional fintech messaging, which often leans heavily on features and efficiency claims.
What marketers should know about culture-led B2B storytelling
Airwallex’s campaign highlights a growing playbook for B2B brands looking to stand out in saturated categories.
Here’s what marketers can take away:
1. Culture can outperform clarity alone
Explaining a product clearly is no longer enough. Embedding it in culture makes it memorable and shareable.
2. Audience behavior is more sophisticated than assumed
The campaign leans on the idea that fans already understand complex systems. Many B2B audiences do too. The opportunity is to meet them where they are, not oversimplify.
3. Partnerships are more than logos
Airwallex’s relationship with Arsenal goes beyond sponsorship. It integrates product relevance with storytelling, turning a partnership into a narrative engine.
4. Entertainment is becoming a B2B channel
High-production storytelling, celebrity involvement, and phased releases mirror consumer marketing strategies. B2B brands are increasingly adopting the same playbook.
5. Timing matters as much as messaging
By aligning the rollout with major football events, the campaign stays contextually relevant across multiple moments, extending its lifecycle.
For B2B marketers, this signals a shift: differentiation is no longer just about product innovation, but about how effectively you translate that innovation into cultural relevance.
Atikah Amalia
Airwallex’s “Who Are Ya?” campaign is less about football and more about reframing how B2B brands communicate value.
By tapping into fandom, community, and storytelling, the company turns a traditionally complex category into something familiar and engaging. For marketers, the message is clear: the future of B2B marketing will not just be data-driven, it will be culture-driven.
Brands that can connect their product to real-world contexts and communities will have a stronger edge in capturing attention and driving understanding.
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