A new national campaign featuring Anna Kendrick is pushing LPL Financial deeper into consumer-facing territory, expanding the company’s “What If You Could?” brand platform with a visually playful, humor-forward concept titled Cups.
Formed in 1989 as an alternative to traditional Wall Street firms, LPL has spent the past several years modernizing its brand while scaling its footprint. Today, the company supports more than 32,000 financial advisors, partners with roughly 1,100 financial institutions, and oversees approximately $2.3 trillion in brokerage and advisory assets on behalf of nearly 8 million Americans. Advisors, according to LPL, have been vocal about wanting the company to stand taller as a consumer-facing brand — a goal this platform is designed to meet head-on.
The new work marks the next chapter in LPL’s first-ever consumer marketing initiative in its 36-year history and continues the momentum launched in May 2025 with the debut of “What If You Could?” and its inaugural campaign, Greener Grass. Developed by independent agency Zambezi, the new creative leans into the idea of “more,” sometimes literally overflowing, as Kendrick poses the question of what happens when life, opportunity, and ambition spill over. Watch below:
“Our partnership with Zambezi is more than a creative collaboration – it’s a strategic engine for growth,” said Christa Carone, Chief Marketing and Communications Officer at LPL Financial. “The success of the What If You Could? communication platform is both a response to our advisors’ needs and a deeply resonant brand story that delivers meaning and momentum. This next phase of the campaign further solidifies LPL’s leadership in the wealth management industry and continues to expand upon the potential of what financial advisors and their clients can do together.”
“In a category that often leans on performance metrics and charts, we wanted to lean into human desire,” said Gavin Lester, Partner and Chief Creative Officer at Zambezi. “This creative is a playful, visually saturated take on what it means to have ‘more’ on your own terms. Working with Anna Kendrick allows us to use humor and relatability to break through the noise, showing that LPL isn’t just a financial choice, but a brand that understands the value of freedom and choice.”
The integrated campaign spans TV, digital, podcasts, print, and out-of-home, using saturated visuals and comedic timing to reframe wealth management through a more human, emotionally resonant lens. Rather than charts and performance jargon, Cups centers desire freedom and choice, with Kendrick serving as a relatable guide through the possibilities.
The campaign officially rolled out on January 19, 2026, with high-profile placements on ESPN during the College Football Championship Game and during Australian Open coverage. Additional media placements throughout the year include Axios, Architectural Digest, Bloomberg, CNBC, Hulu, New York Times Magazine, Peacock, Uber, YouTube, The Wall Street Journal, and podcasts across iHeart and SiriusXM. Media buying is handled by Scale by Zambezi.
If the question is what happens when your cup runneth over, LPL’s answer is clear: maybe that’s exactly where possibility begins.
CREDITS:
BRAND: LPL Financial
- CEO: Rich Steinmeier
- Managing Director, Chief Marketing and Communications Officer: Christa Carone
- SVP, Brand & Creative: Chava Ziff
- VP, Brand: Edison Lee
- Sr. Agile Marketing Consultant: Holly Bishop
AGENCY: Zambezi
- CEO: Jean Freeman
- Founder: Chris Raih
- President: Laura Stayt
- Chief Creative Officer: Gavin Lester
- Associate Creative Director: Alexa Thomas
- Associate Creative Director: Alayna Zideck
- Senior Designer: Shelby Norman
- Executive Producer: Jeri Low
- Senior Producer: Faye Armstrong
- Group Account Director: Alyssa Tigue
- Account Director: Rachel Lynn
- Account Supervisor: Angelina Nguyen
- Head of Strategy: Matt Babazadeh
- Strategy Director: Marisa Perazzelli
- Associate Director, Project Manager: Lauren Northcott
PRODUCTION COMPANY: RESET
- Director: Tucker Bliss
- Producer: Kristin Porter
- Executive Producer: Jen Beitler
- Director of Photography: Rodrigo Prieto
- Production Designer: Quito Cooksey
STILL PHOTOGRAPHY: Dean Bradshaw
SOCIAL AND BTS CAPTURE: Cake Films
- Camera OP: K.C. Lauf
- Gaffer: Arthur Garcia
- Sound Mixer: Juan Nunez
- PA: Christopher Rosenblum
- Teleprompter: McNulty Nielsen
EDIT: Cabin Editorial
- Editor: Talia Pasqua
- Assistant Editor: Julie Levy
- Senior Producer: Micayla Myles
VFX: 1920 VFX
- Creative Director: Bill McNamara
- VFX Supervisors: Weronika Holak, Chrys Aldred
- VFX Arts: Adam McHale, Alejandro Marzo, Loredana Gangemi, Taylor Webber, Karthikeyan Dhayalan, Matilda Craig, Rakesh Lad
- DMP: Emilis Baltrusaitis, Winnie Choudhary
- VFX Producer: Ross Culligan
- Production Co-ordinator: Brooke Mowat
COLOR: Trafik
- Colorist: Mark Gethin
- Assistant Colorists: Jacob Suffern & Ali Soofi
- Color Producer: Rebecca Boorsma
- Head of Production: Angela Zappella
- Creative Director: Benji Davidson
AUDIO POST SOUND: Eleven
- Sound Design – Jeff Payne
- Mix – Jeff Payne
- Executive Producers – Whitney Morris, Paula Arnett
- Producer – Sean Kiely
MUSIC PRODUCTION AND LICENSING: Mophonics
- ECD/Partner, Mophonics: Steph Altman
- Head of Production/Partner: Shelley Altman
- Creative Producer/Partner: Kristoffer Roggemann
Song: Motivo Di Giorgia
- Written by: Alfredo Bongusto
- Performed by: Fred Bongusto
- Courtesy of: Bixio Music Group
REELated:
Equinox challenges what’s real in age of AI in OOH campaign
