Footie ad banned for being too much fun
Mar 16 2008 by James McCarthy, Wales On Sunday
A WELSH loan company’s TV ad has been forced off air.
The advert, which shows a man chatting on the phone to a loan firm while juggling a football and smiling, fell foul of the Advertising Standards Authority who have banned it because it shows the man laughing while borrowing £25,000.
The ASA said taking out such a large sum is not a light-hearted matter.
The ad did not breach laws by being misleading, but the ASA said the impact on ‘a reasonable viewer’ had to considered under the Advertising Standards Code.
It said: “We considered that consolidating unsecured loans into one loan, particularly one secured on a home, was a serious step that needed careful consideration.
“The man on the phone was shown wandering round the house, being filmed by his partner, making jokes and playing with a football towards the end of the call.
“He had to check with her how much they wanted to borrow and, although Picture and Clearcast (who examine and pass ads for broadcast) considered that demonstrated that they had discussed their requirements . . . we considered that was likely to suggest the discussion was not being taken seriously.”
Picture argued the ad only depicted a first call.
But the ASA believed viewers would see it as arranging a loan – especially as the man says: “I’m sorting out the loan”.
“The light-hearted
“The light-hearted tone suggested that the decision to take out the loan had not been carefully considered and it was an everyday occurrence. We concluded that the advert was likely to mislead,” said the ASA, who have banned it from broadcast in its current form.
Five people complained it was misleading. Picture called that ‘proportionally very small’ as it had been shown for three years, and claimed:
nit was clear the couple had discussed the loan;
nthe ad was not aimed at the ‘financially vulnerable’;
nthe man treated the call seriously as he went into the lounge;
nthe couple knew the rates were lower than their current payments, showing they had considered the matter and;
nthe man claimed he could have an ‘adult conversation’ with Picture.
No-one at Picture was available for comment.
Source:
http://icwales.icnetwork.co.uk/news/wales-news/2008/03/16/
footie-ad-banned-for-being-too-much-fun-91466-20629796/
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