Hands Off My Cash
In an effort to promote financial literacy in the inner city of Milwaukee, Serve created an educational campaign taking on the convenience lending industry this past November. The aggressive awareness campaign, called “Hands Off My Cash” featured bus sides that mimicked local check cashing store signs. Signs associated fast loans and check cashing with the pain of getting teeth pulled and being kicked in the shins.
The most surprising aspect of the campaign, however, was a mock inner city storefront, designed by Serve volunteers, which turned heads on Milwaukee’s near north side. The realistic-looking storefront sign, likened fast cash services with the pain of being sucker punched, while window signs then directed local residents to call for help or go to a website called HandsOffMyCash.com, where they could find alternatives to expensive convenience lending outlets. The storefront also created a buzz with local media leading to lengthy stories on the dangers of payday lending.
