Lowell turns the humble coaster into a financial conversation starter
Talking about money is very un-British, and Lowell is seeking to change that.
Lowell's latest campaign, ‘Say It Over a Drink’, tackles the silence over debt, overdrafts and so on with an idea: use the thing sitting beneath your cup of tea to start the conversation.
The debt management company has chosen one of Britain's most overlooked media spaces: the humble drinks coaster. Distributed in pubs, cafés and restaurants across the country, the illustrated coasters feature prompts designed to make talking about money feel a little less intimidating.
The campaign recognises that conversations about debt rarely happen in formal settings.
A pub table or café counter might be a more effective environment for vulnerability than a financial advice website.
To bring the idea to life, Lowell commissioned five independent illustrators from five UK cities, each producing work in their own visual style. The resulting collection of 25 coaster designs feels more akin to a small gallery exhibition than a financial awareness campaign.
The right place is the right time
By allowing artists to interpret the brief individually, Lowell avoids the dry uniformity that often accompanies financial-services marketing.
The illustrations give people a reason to pick up the coaster in the first place, transforming a disposable object into something worth examining.
The scale of the problem
The idea is underpinned by research that highlights just how uncomfortable debt remains as a topic. According to Lowell's study of 300 customers, one in four respondents said they would rather discuss sex with their family than debt, while 69% claimed they would rather reveal their internet search history than disclose their bank balance.
Those (unintentionally innuendo-laden) figures reveal a genuine social barrier. If people are reluctant to admit financial difficulties, they are also less likely to seek support before problems escalate.
The campaign's more encouraging finding is that 93% believe society should talk about debt more openly and 82% reported feeling better after discussing their financial situation. In that sense, Lowell is positioning conversation itself as a form of intervention.
Our take
The most effective campaigns often find power in unexpected places and take careful consideration of the context.
In recent years, we've seen products turned into messaging mediums, like with Patagonia’s ‘Don't Buy This Jacket’ and Ariel’s ‘Share the Load’, but ‘Say It Over a Drink’ is designed with behaviour in mind, and it’s hard to argue that chatting about such things is easier with a pint or a cuppa at hand.
Credits
Agency: Lowell (in-house campaign)
Campaign: Say It Over a Drink
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