Sorted's Silly Season Warning

"Christmas is the season when you buy this year's gifts with next year's money." ~ Anon 

With Christmas less than a one month away, silly season advertising is ramping up. Swimming against this tide these bus shelters caught my eye. Sorted (The Retirement Commission) has extended their "Dumb Debt" campaign to address our Christmas spending habits. This post by Sorted shows how true the above quote actually is for many New Zealanders. 

What I like about this campaign is the copy writing - without sounding patronising it highlights the juxtaposition between our actions and thoughts. It reminds us of the longterm consequences of silly season splurging. A pretty effective message that cuts through the Christmas ad clutter.   

The campaign is linked to Facebook and this website - encouraging people to share their tips for avoiding dumb debt this silly season. Sorted's website does make an important distinction between "dumb" and "smart" debt. It' hard for most people to live life completely debt-free, student and home loans are smart if used wisely. Dumb debt is high interest consumer debt that can be avoided – like credit card and hire purchase debt.
 

Dumb Debt Campaign  
The original "Dumb Debt" campaign included print, bus shelters and online. 

From Left to Right: Print, Bus Shelter, Online (top) and Bus Back (bottom)

Image source: GSL Network 

Author Profile: Nicole Williams

Nicole is a self-confessed geek, obsessed with all things brand-related. When deciding on what career to follow she flip-flopped between law and graphic design, only to sign up for marketing (purely because they showed amusing TV ads at orientation!). Thankfully, it turned out to be a perfect fit. After finishing a BCA in Marketing and Commercial Law, she worked her way into the job of Marketing Manager for Mitsubishi Electric products in NZ (after starting a couple years earlier stuffing envelopes). You can find Nicole on Twitter