Ad description
A TV ad, for a furniture and electrical products supplier, featured a woman pointing a TV remote control at a TV, which changed in to a new set. The woman was shown rushing around her home pointing the remote at various electrical items and furniture, which then transformed in to new items. The voice-over stated, "Whether you're changing your TV or switching your sofa, there's something for everyone at Buy As You View. Our low weekly payments system with no deposit puts you in control with a plan that suits your circumstances and with so many big name brands at just fifty eight point seven per cent representative APR. Call now or go online today and see what you could change at Buy As You View". On-screen text stated "No Deposit & Low Weekly Payments ... 58.7% Representative APR Loans subject to status, you must be 18 or over ... ".
Issue
A viewer challenged whether the ad was irresponsible, because they believed it depicted impulse buying on credit.
Response
Dunraven Finance Ltd t/a Buy As You View’ said household items broke down or needed replacing without warning and they provided household essentials on credit to customers who did not have the finances immediately available to purchase replacements. The ad featured a range of items that were available and, with the exception of the games console, were all basic household essentials such as a sofa, table, TV, bed, washing machine, fridge freezer and computer. They said the products shown were standard or basic models rather than top of the range items.
Buy As You View explained that they were legally required to ensure that customers could afford to meet their loan repayments. Before granting credit, initial applications were given a score rating, which was followed-up with a phone call for an income and expenditure assessment. A customer would then receive a visit from an Assessor to validate the information that had been provided. Initial advances were also capped to reduce the risk that customers were taking on unaffordable credit. They said the on-screen text “Subject to status” made clear that not all applicants would be granted credit and there was an approval process.
They believed the ad showed an unrealistic and exaggerated situation and was unlikely to be understood by viewers to mean that an impulse or immediate credit purchase was possible. They pointed out that the voice over referred to a “plan that suits your circumstances” and “Call now or go online today and see what you could change”, which they believed made clear that a process had to be followed before a purchase could be made. Buy As You View said that rather than suggesting an impulse purchase on credit, the ad showed that in the event of household items needing to be replaced, it could be done by affordable credit payments tailored to the customer’s needs.
Clearcast explained that they discussed the scenario during the pre-production clearance process and believed the visuals were an exaggerated, creative method to show the choice and type of essential household items that Buy As You View offered customers, but the ad would not be taken literally as impulse buying on credit. They understood that Buy As You View had responsible lending practices in place and the voice-over and on-screen text made clear the terms and conditions to purchasing household items on credit from the advertiser. Clearcast believed the items shown would appeal to viewers who needed to upgrade or replace a broken household item and could contact Buy As You View to see if buying on credit would be suitable for their circumstances. They believed the fantastical visuals were unlikely to encourage impulse buying on credit.
Assessment
Upheld
The ASA understood Buy As You View offered household goods on a weekly repayment schedule and the ad was intended to show those occasions when viewers did not have the finances immediately available to buy household items that unexpectedly needed to be replaced. We noted viewers who responded to the ad would be subject to an affordability assessment, which included a home visit, before credit could be approved and the process was therefore likely to prevent a quick impulse purchase. However, that was not the impression created by the ad, which showed the woman hurriedly buying household items without apparently considering the implications of doing so.
Although the ad was fantastical with the woman pointing a TV remote at objects that would magically transform in to new models, we nonetheless considered that the scenario did not negate the overall impression that it was fun, easy and quick to replace the goods. We acknowledged that the items shown were basic household items, but there was no suggestion that they were broken or in a poor state of repair. The woman was clearly excited at being able to swap the goods with apparent ease and rushed from one item to the other, replacing them on impulse without appearing to consider whether they needed to be replaced or not. We also considered that the voice-over claim, “Call now or go online today and see what you could change” was likely to be understood to be an invitation to replace any household item, rather than unexpected essential purchases, and added to the impression of impulse buying.
We noted the claim “Our low weekly payments system with no deposit puts you in control with a plan that suits your circumstances” made clear that the credit was likely to be tailored to the individual and the representative APR was quoted in both voice-over and on-screen text. However, we considered that it was not sufficient to remove the overall impression given by the ad that buying goods on credit was a decision that could be taken lightly and without much consideration. We therefore concluded that the ad was irresponsible.
The ad breached BCAP Code rule 1.2 1.2 Advertisements must be prepared with a sense of responsibility to the audience and to society. (Social responsibility).
Action
The ad must not be broadcast again in its current form. We told Buy As You View to ensure that their future advertising was prepared with a sense of responsibility to consumers and society.
