We have to admit that yes it probably is, however it’s not too soon with our thinking behind our ‘Disconnect to Reconnect’ mobile phone Christmas Campaign.
This time last year, we launched our ‘Say No to Tat’ Christmas voucher campaign, which we saw as a really good way to give somebody an experience that they would love, while at the same time providing a planet friendly alternative to those boring presents we’ve all been on the receiving end of.
We wanted you to say NO to boring presents, NO to plastic and NO to mind-numbing electronics. We thought about that message a lot and as a ‘Phone-Slap’ office (slap someone’s mobile phone out their hand when they’re glued to it and being anti-social) we wanted to take that further.
The premise is a simple one – mobile phones are taking over! We’ve become a society controlled by electronic devices and it’s getting out of control!
How many of us spend most of Christmas surrounded by family and loved ones, only to stare blankly at our phones and looking at other people’s lives. We’re using this all too common experience to draw people’s attention towards life in the outdoors and the adventure that is on the other side of the door.
Would you expect any less from us? No? Good!
It’s something we feel very strongly about and we see it in action every day. It’s the kids down on school trips who recoil in horror when they realise they can’t take their phones with them, or who are still recovering from the shock of no Fortnite for a week. Or it’s the families on the beach all sat on phones whilst we’re setting up activities, ignoring the beautiful scenery that surrounds them. Or it’s the couples spending time together, but not talking to each other and mindlessly scrolling.
It’s everywhere you look and we are all guilty of it!
Don’t get us wrong, we’re no angels either and it’s something we all need to work on so we want to try and help where we can.
So this year, we’re continuing the feel of that original campaign. ‘Disconnect to Reconnect’ is highlighting that a Land & Wave Experience voucher isn’t one of those last minute, ‘it will do’ type of presents, but is in fact, the ultimate antidote to Candy Crush, YouTube, Instagram and all manner of other vexatious distractions.
How bad is phone use? Well, did you know that Apple has introduced a new update that will actually monitor app and phone usage as well as let you set time limits to restrict the amount of time they can be accessed for? We think that some of these figures are going to shock a few people, especially parents. You know it has to be bad if the makers of the phones are looking to stop people using their products so much.
So instead of buying a Bluetooth speaker, another new phone case or yet another electronic gadget that will almost guarantee EVEN more screen time, give Adventure. Say YES to being outside, say YES to awesome adventures, say YES to jumping in the sea, say YES to spending times as a family and say NO to screens. Say YES to Disconnecting and YES to Reconnecting.
28 October 2018 by Matt Brown
