Northwest Company’s ‘Kiss Me Quick’ Loan Ads Banned Prolific North
“Summer time and life is easy” … we all know how it goes. But when it comes to advertising payday loans, the ad watchers have deemed it too frivolous to mention.
Someone who received a direct mail from Warrington-based Cash Converters filed a complaint with the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) about the summer letterhead flyer for personal loans and pawn shops who continued:
“We wish it was a summer vacation, kids to entertain, a new barbecue to buy, the list never ends! At Cash Converters, we’re here to help. We have all kinds of ways to fundraise that little extra cash that could help you a lot, and who knows, maybe even go for a “Kiss Me Quick” hat for the beach! “
They complained that the ad encouraged frivolous spending – and the ASA agreed. In a ruling today, he said the ad should no longer appear in its current form and that the company should “ensure that its future ad is prepared with a sense of responsibility to consumers and society. “.
“We considered summer vacations, entertaining the kids, buying a new barbecue and a ‘Kiss Me Quick’ hat for the beach to be purchases that were probably not considered essential purchases and as referrals. to these 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 advances could be used to fund non-essential purchases, the ad encouraged frivolous spending. For this reason, we found it to be irresponsible and in violation of the Code.
Preston Brook-based Cash Converters said the mailing was designed to refer to the range of services offered by Cash Converters, which included retail as well as financial services.
Read the full decision here.