New guidance issued for payday loan adverts to prevent trivialisation of short-term high-cost borrowing
New guidance has been published on the regulation of adverts for payday loan products, designed to prevent ads from trivialising taking out short-term high-cost loans.
The Committee of Advertising Practice's rules, which come into immediate effect, say that ads must be responsible to the audience and society, and should not encourage consumers to make ill-considered or rushed decisions about borrowing.
There are warnings that ads risk breaching the rules if they: suggest loans are a suitable means of addressing ongoing financial concerns; condone non-essential or frivolous spending; or unacceptably distort the serious nature of payday loan products.
Payday loan company Wonga has previously come under fire for such tactics, leading to it scrapping its advertising puppets last year.
The new guidance, published on Thursday, suggests that animation, catchy upbeat jingles and humorous themes are used with care.
It also proposed phrases to help payday loan advertisers communicate "reasonable benefits" of their products.