The Most Ridiculous Thing I’ve Ever Done…

I’m embarking on the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever done. And there have been a few. But all roads led this way since we set up Quids in! in 2008 and it’s time.

I have never felt so self-conscious. Stupid, even. Or crazy. As one friend said to me: ‘Well, you could try looking less like a total mad man when you’re doing it.’

Last month, Clean Slate Training and Employment CIC hosted its latest webinar on the cost-of-living crisis. I presented on how our Money Health-Check service generates average financial gains of over ￡1,200 for people on low incomes. I outlined the process and how it’s data-driven, helping us work towards average gains of two grand per person. Despite the cost-of-living crisis, this is not a crisis intervention and I described how it nurtures positive habits, attitudes and a sense of agency, so people take responsibility for keeping a tight hand on the purse strings. But first we have to reach them, sometimes while they’d still rather bury their head in the sand.

Despite the latest energy price shock, people seem to be waiting to see if it really will be that bad. We can’t blame them. During the pandemic, the government seemed to find the ‘magic money tree’. The one whose existence Theresa May denied. The one that borrows against the future, no matter how uncertain that is. Now many low-income households are hoping against hope for enough support.

This isn’t a pandemic-bred mentality. Since its start, no amount of warnings could prepare some claimants moving onto Universal Credit for all the changes the new system brings. Despite one in four claims failing, or experiencing serious delays, (according to Southwark council, for one), authorities reported confounded attempts to engage claimants moving onto Universal Credit until they realise payments have not hit their bank account. Even when we have the messages, the guidance and even the capacity, if someone doesn’t want to act in time, it’s all for nothing.

But so what if we can make a dent in the cost-of-living crisis, if we can’t get people through the door? Or onto the phone? How do we get people to take the cost-of-living dangers rattling down the road towards us seriously?

I’ve been putting this off for years.

We experimented with Quids in! TV in 2015. We knew that probably video, or telly, was the natural evolution for a money skills initiative launched as a magazine more akin to Take A Break or a supplement to the Sun on Sunday. But it was too ambitious. It was too big a leap from publishing. We were out of our depth. But still, just as we did when we conceived Quids in! magazine, we had to ask who is our target audience listening to and where?

Since we scrapped the idea of QITV, however, other media and messengers have gone properly mainstream. Namely, social media. And, [draws breath]… Influencers.

Quids in! has always acknowledged the strange relationship between our readers and celebrities. We include personalities on our cover. They draw readers in. Their lives, and anything they have to say, seem to be credible and valuable. But it also makes our brand more familiar and less po-faced, worthy though our social objectives blatantly are. Slightly incredibly, it helps build rapport and trust.

These days, social media (and reality TV) means people can create their own celebrity. Lucrative careers await those who make a mark on the public consciousness. And there are thousands to be made endorsing anything, once their TikTok following has exploded beyond 10,000. And who’s adding ‘likes’ to these posts? Our hunch is that it’s a big chunk of the Quids in! target audience.

We needn’t be too sniffy about all this. What is Martin Lewis, if not an influencer? (Although he might want to kill me for saying so.) There is no doubt that he’s cutting through to the masses by way of celebrity, just as Boris Johnson did in his climb to the top. And like all the others, there was money to be made along the way.

So what does this mean for a mission-led not-for-profit? What are the lessons that could help us cut through to our target audience? Could it even lead to sustainability, and more, to help us tackle poverty across the UK?

(You’re ahead of me, right?)

So, in April this year, there I was, stood on the bank of the Thames, trying to work out how the fancy new lapel mic works. The logos of Barclays and HSBC at Canary Wharf hover over my shoulder setting the scene for my first experimental explainer video. I’m talking about how we (Quids in! readers) speak a different language to them (financial institutions, policy-makers and government). “Take the word ‘credit’, for example. It sounds like a good thing. We look at our bank statement and ‘in credit’ is good. But when we’re offered credit, we’re being offered debt. What’s going on here? Are we speaking different languages? It’s like there are all these traps, these secrets codes no-one taught us at school.” You get the picture. One part education, one part righteous indignation, one part promoting Quids in! services.

Apparently, someone's first hundred vlogs are generally awful. After that, they get better. Well, roll on that day but I’m only about 20 in. We have a growing mix of explainers, tips and guidance, and promotional content. We’re exploring which channels will bring us to our target audience of low-income, working age consumers. Meanwhile, the necessity gets more and more urgent, as the cost-of-living headlines get worse.

I don’t feel quite ready with the videos but I’m not sure I ever will. No-one wants anything too slick anyway. So we’ve started posting and the live experiment is under way. I feel stupid and self-conscious and ridiculous but then I remind myself I never wanted to be a tabloid journalist either. The social purpose is bigger than me, though, and while I might actually look like a madman, if it cuts through to nudge people closer to that tipping point of ‘if I don’t make changes now, I’m gonna go under’, my work will be done.

Just don’t call me an influencer.

#costoflivingcrisis #poverty #socialjustice #socialenterprise

Here we go...