"Balancing The Books of Life"
As the use of—and access to—cash across wider society reduces, Post Office's Brand Film Award winning Save Our Cash campaign glimpses some of those perhaps less pondered domestic and financial difficulties faced by sections of the UK population.
Produced by Boldspace as a collection of story parts and filmed via a single camera docu-style mode, we jump in and out of the unique worries experienced by individuals at this end of the trend. Save Our Cash aims to build a troubling collage of questions within the viewer: How progressive and inclusive is our financial system if those with money are unable to access it? What underlying and potentially dangerous issues can systemic negligence of this type create for those inadvertently excluded? Does an overreliance on digital commerce necessarily mean there can be no space for physical currency?
The role of cash in an ever more online-based and transactional society is set to become a contentious topic, one likely to be recycled. As some news outlets have already begun allegedly repurposing the public traction generated by such campaigns to further their own reach and subscriptions, the FCA estimates that digital payments have grown by over 80% since the mid 2000’s. This is a figure further supercharged by the recent COVID pandemic.
Boldspace have crafted a strong piece of brand film because of the non-confrontational way it carries its messages into a potentially combative public debate. While this piece isn’t flashy, the script provides us enough moments of narrative pause to breathe in an understated cinematography and reflect on a complicated legacy that cash might leave behind. As both free-to-use ATM’s and flagship branches of some the biggest banking players continue to disappear from the UK’s high-streets at a staggering rate, Post Office presents itself here as a crucial bridge in a widening societal gap. Save Our Cash therefore acts as a powerful message in a bottle about the important role the brand plays in helping us access what’s ours.
