Even the best phones with the latest cameras boast camera rolls full of calamities thanks to the amateur photographers who use them. The insight behind the leading marketplace for reconditioned electrical and electronic appliances, Back Market’s new campaign is that the new doesn’t always equal better and that the fate of the phone is in the hands of the owner.

The disruptive new campaign created by Innocean Berlin encourages audiences to think before buying new by revealing camera rolls of phone users.

The humorous campaign titled ‘Camera Roll’, shows the snaps taken by users that would never see the light of day on social media. Despite being taken on a state of the art phone, camera rolls often include blurry selfies, half snapped pets, wonky shots out of windows and underwhelming pictures of morning coffees.

In a series of light hearted but thought-provoking print ads the pictures make a strong case for refurbished tech as the smart choice when it comes to technology. Alongside the less-than-satisfactory snaps a strapline reads: “Trust us, last year’s phone will do.”

“Every year, tech companies put out a new model of their flagship phones, with specs that are only slightly better than the ones from the year before, “ explains Gabriel Mattar, European CCO of Innocean Berlin. “But is it really worth the upgrade? Let’s just look at our camera rolls for a second. For 99% of the pictures we take, an older phone would get the job done just as well.”

Where many phone ads showcasing the latest models boast about camera credentials as technology continues to improve, Back Market argues that all recent phones have good enough cameras and even these cameras can only be as good as the user.

The humorous ads take a realistic approach that audiences will be able to relate to. The campaign is able to spread Back Market’s environmental message in a non-patronising way that encourages users to engage in more sustainable shopping habits and raise awareness for more sustainable consumption of technology.

“E-waste is a very big problem in today’s world. We all want to have a great phone with an excellent camera, but that shouldn’t come at the planet’s expense. Back Market offers an array of expertly renewed phones (and other devices), that deliver top performance with a much lower impact on the environment, and on your pocket” adds Alexandra Brandt, Back Market’s Head of Marketing for Germany.

The campaign’s fun tone allows audiences to engage in sustainability in a digestible way. It successfully disrupts category conventions by encouraging tech users to think about what they really need from their phones, rather than what’s new and flashy.