In the midst of all your shopping on Black Friday and in the aftermath, are you planning on taking in a movie? Before you watch the latest Twilight movie, or Ninja Assassin or whatever you think will put you in the holiday spirit, the government has some advice for you on how to use your credit card.

The Federal Reserve announced Wednesday that it's sponsoring a 45-second ad that will appear before movie previews at 12 theaters in 12 cities from November 27 through December 3. The ad is a public service announcement, reminding people to use their credit cards wisely and to offer some advice on how to handle them.

If you don't go to the movies during that time or aren't in one of the theaters, and you'd like to see what you're missing, the ad can be viewed by clicking here.


The advice is extremely basic with suggestions like, "Pay on time," and to pay more than the required monthly minimum amount so you can get out of debt faster. Nothing you don't already know.

The commercial itself is also extremely dry, from a visual and audio standpoint -- some narration with some still photos. I tried to picture myself in the movies, and pausing in conversation with a friend or family member to pay attention to this ad, and imagining that is kind of a stretch. I guess the good thing is that whatever the taxpayers paid for this commercial, it couldn't have been much.

In any case, the reminder -- to be careful with your credit cards -- is a good one, and I can't fault the Fed for that. It's also being shown at the start of the holiday shopping season, and you can't fault them for that. In fact, over all, I think what they've done is commendable. But is this an ad that will likely have any serious impact on consumers' shopping behavior?

I wouldn't bet the farm on it.