Hell Pizza launches new AfterLife Pay campaign via Yarn – where customers don’t have to pay for their pizza until they’re… dead

As the heat turns up on ‘Buy now, pay later’ schemes trapping a growing number of Kiwis in spirals of debt, HELL and Yarn have launched AfterLife Pay, where customers don’t have to pay for their pizza until they’re… dead.

Launching initially as a trial in New Zealand and Australia, a select number of customers will be invited to sign a legally-binding amendment to their Wills, allowing the total cost of their pizza to be collected upon death, with no late fees or penalties.

Says Ben Cumming, CEO of HELL: “We’re seeing a growing number of people using the schemes to buy essential items like food, and we think it’s taking it a step too far when you’ve got quick service restaurants like ours being asked to offer ‘Buy Now,  Pay Later’ for what is considered a treat – especially when you consider people are falling behind in their payments and 10.5 percent of loans in NZ are in arrears.

“This is one step Hell Pizza is taking to promote financial responsibility with our customers by making a stand against those schemes with our business.”

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The campaign created by independent creative agency Yarn has already sparked a chord across Australasia making news headlines and fuelling plenty of debate on social media.

Within just a few hours of launching the new payment scheme, HELL Pizza has also been overwhelmed with thousands of customers eager to sign up to the trial at https://afterlife.hellpizza.nz/ and happily leave their debt in their estate.

Says Matt Sellars and Rich Robson, executive creative directors of Yarn: “It’s been a pleasure to share this campaign amongst the living, knowing that it may not reach its full potential until the afterlife.

“We once again give kudos to Ben, Siang, Callum and the Hell Pizza team for wearing their brand on their sleeves and standing up for what they believe in.”

Only this week, Australia’s federal government announced it would regulate the ‘Buy Now, Pay Later’ industry to avoid financial abuse by the lending schemes. However, while the New Zealand government has announced it will also regulate the industry – applying the Credit Contracts and Consumer Finance Act 2003 to the sector – final regulations are yet to be confirmed, including the proposal that affordability assessments only be carried out for purchases that are $600 or higher.

“An investigation from Consumer NZ describes the schemes as ‘addictive’ and says being approved is easier than getting a credit card – when you add in the late fees and penalties, people can get into debt fast. We don’t think people should do this for their pizza – we would prefer they purchase HELL within their financial means”.

Ben Cumming says pizza is one of the simple joys of life, and AfterLife Pay means people can get their fix without having to dip into the bank account immediately: “AfterLife Pay is a light-hearted campaign that reinforces HELL’s stance on buy now pay later schemes – you can have your pizza and eat it too without any pesky late fees or penalties.”

Client: Hell Pizza
CEO: Ben Cumming
Founder: Callum Davies
Marketing Manager: Siang Tay

Agency: Yarn
CEO: Heath Davy
Executive Creative Directors: Matt Sellars & Rich Robson
Creatives: Crystal Hay & Michael Gillard-Allen
Producer/Director: Trish Phelan
DOP: Dan Frost
Editor: Kat Kasajima
Sound: Radiate
Retouching: Denny Monk

PR: Thorn PR
Jacinda Thorn: General Manager
Sadie Beckman: Senior Media Advisor
Hannah Palframan: PR Consultant