Picture of seaside hats: Alison Oddy on Flickr
‘Summer time and the living is easy’….we all know how that one goes. But when it comes to advertising payday loans, advertising watchdogs have ruled it’s too frivolous for mention.
Someone who received a direct mail from Warrington-based Cash Converters made a complaint to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) about the summertime headed leaflet for personal loans and pawnbroking services which continued:
“We wish it was – summer holidays, kids to entertain, new BBQ to buy, the list never ends! At Cash Converters we are here to help. We have all sorts of ways of raising that bit of extra money that could go a long way towards helping you out, and who knows, maybe even go towards a ‘Kiss Me Quick’ hat for the beach!”
They complained that the ad encouraged frivolous spending – and the ASA has agreed. In a ruling today, it said the advert must not appear again in its current form and that the company needed to ‘ensure that their future advertising was prepared with a sense of responsibility to consumers and to society.’
“We considered that summer holidays, entertaining the children, buying a new barbeque and a “Kiss Me Quick” hat for the beach were all purchases that were unlikely to be considered essential purchases and that the references to them suggested that taking out a loan or other type of cash advance for them was something that could be approached lightly. We considered that, by suggesting that loans or other types of cash advance could be used to fund non-essential purchases, the ad encouraged frivolous spending. Because of that, we concluded that it was irresponsible and in breach of the Code.”
Preston Brook-based Cash Converters said the mailing was designed to refer to the range of facilities offered by Cash Converters, which included retail as well as financial services.
