Problem: Even though financial literacy is a core part of MoneyLion’s mission, we were having a hard time getting people to pay attention and engage with traditional educational content. People know they should care about managing their money, but when you serve them another article about budgeting, they tend to tune out. So we needed a way to cut through the noise, make financial literacy fun, and get people actually interacting with our brand and message.

Solution: Flip the script on what people expect from financial education and make it feel like an experience. We kicked off the month with a bold April Fool’s stunt, where we planted thousands of fake dollar bills all over New York City—but each bill had a QR code that led to a real money hack or a chance to win actual cash. And to make it even more fun, each bill was placed in contextual locations—like in SoHo, where you’d get a shopping hack.

Results: We got millions of impressions, nearly a 20% increase in app downloads, and all of our fake bills were snatched up within hours. More importantly, we turned financial literacy into something interactive, surprising, and engaging, instead of something people wanted to avoid.

To start the hunt for the fake dollar bills, and announce the stunt, we partnered with dozens of influential New Yorkers.

The fake bills were placed in famous neighborhoods and landmarks in New York City. Each had a contextual hack. For example, at SOHO, people could get a shopping hack. 

After the prank, we sustained the campaign for the rest of the month with content that helped people to money better. From quick hacks to Q&As with money experts.