Cash Converters, Carat Perth and Nova Entertainment saddle up to launch Side Quest City

Cash Converters, in partnership with Carat Perth and Nova Entertainment, has unveiled Side Quest City - a national integrated campaign designed to tap into Australia’s booming ‘passion economy’, where Aussies now spend more than $42 billion a year on hobbies, passions and personal pursuits.

With younger Australians increasingly embracing “side quests” as part of their identity, the campaign positions Cash Converters as the home of low‑risk exploration, where people can try something new without overcommitting, thanks to the accessibility and value of the second‑hand economy.

Carat Perth Strategy Director, Tiaan van Jaarsveldt says “This campaign taps into a cultural truth and pairs it with a media ecosystem built for discovery. Nova’s talent and platforms give Side Quest City the scale and personality it deserves, delivering the campaign to key target audiences across the country.”

Side Quest City is engineered to drive in‑store foot traffic, develop trust/customer retention and brand loyalty with younger audiences, and cement Cash Converters’ role in the circular retail economy. The campaign spans Cash Converter’s most popular retail categories in jewellery, technology, gaming, tools and musical equipment.

Sara Tweedly, Chief Growth Officer Cash Converters says “Side quests are meant to be fun, not financially stressful. We believe that they should be attainable for everyone, and the second-hand economy lets people experiment, upgrade, or move on to something new without financially overcommitting. With over 150 stores around the country, and all of them unique with one-of-a-kind finds, this partnership will bring the joy of side quests to a larger audience – particularly those who may not have considered us before.”

The creative platform comes to life through a major partnership with Nova Entertainment, leveraging its national radio, talent, podcast and social ecosystem.

Popular TV and radio personality, comedian and social media favourite Joel Creasey fronts the campaign. Creasey, who began his own side quest as “DJ Joel Jivin” at age 12 thanks to equipment purchased from Cashies.

Launching on The Joel Creasey Show, the campaign will follow Creasey as he embarks on new side quests with Cash Converters, supported by on‑air segments, in‑studio visuals and Instagram storytelling encouraging audiences to “head in store”.

Additionally, podcasters Two Broke Chicks and The Relatables, will share their own side quest journeys and spotlight the benefits of second‑hand discovery, using Nova’s extensive creator network to extend the activation.

Nina Santella, Nova Group Sales Director says “Joel Creasey and our creator network bring authenticity and humour to the idea of side quests. It’s a natural fit for our audience and a great example of how brands can show up in culture.”

In May, Side Quest City will launch a national customer competition offering a share of $50,000 by scanning the QR code in-store at Cash Converters with bonus entries by logging their purchases.

Side Quest City is built for Australians who want to embrace hobbies as part of who they are.  With Cash Converters enabling low-risk exploration and Nova bringing it to life across their talent network, the campaign is one people can step into, not just scroll past.