11 October 2007
Unsecured loans company Picture Financial Services has been censured by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) in a ruling yesterday.
A TV advert for the firm, featuring a busy mum taking out a five figure loan by phone, was "misleading" and treated the subject inappropriately lightly, the ASA said.
The commercial portrays a busy family, with the mother being interrupted while on the phone by her husband and son.
"Don't worry, it's always like this here," she says. "But at least I can get my credit sorted. We'd like to borrow £25,000."
Six viewers complained to the ASA after the advert began being shown, saying that it should not be portraying borrowing large sums of money as an "everyday occurrence", the Associated Press reports.
In its ruling, the authority stated: "We considered that the light-hearted tone of the ad, including the interruptions from family members, suggested that the decision to take out the loan had not been carefully considered and that it was an everyday occurrence."
Responding, Picture said that it had not wished to give this impression.
It has been told that the commercial should not be broadcast again.
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