“Disturbing, Irresponsible & Harmful!” Calls For Rebel Wilson’s Afterpay Ad To Be Banned
An advertisement for the Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) service Afterpay starring Aussie actor Rebel Wilson should be banned, financial welfare advocates have said, describing the spot as a “step too far”.
The ad, which was created by Afterpay’s in-house creative team, debuted in early June and features Wilson’s comic take on the BNPL service.
In the 30-second spot, Wilson’s character describes Afterpay to a young child as if “credit cards and cash had a baby you could pay it over time without ever paying interest”.
You can check out B&T’s original reporting here and watch the spot below:
However, the ad’s fallen foul of advocacy group Financial Counselling Australia (FCA) who’ve called for it to be banned as it promotes irresponsible lending, particularly to vulnerable people.
FCA CEO Fiona Guthrie calling the spot “disturbing” and “irresponsible”.
“The fact she (Wilson) is talking to a young child, explaining a credit product, is very disturbing,” Guthrie said.
“Why these celebrities want to associate themselves with a product that can cause such harm is beyond us.
“That’s why we are writing to Ad Standards, the body overseeing the advertising industry’s self regulatory codes, to make a complaint about [Afterpay’s] ad. We want it discontinued as soon as possible,” Guthrie said.
“These slick and expensive campaigns only serve to lull consumers into using BNPL more. There is a high risk of getting into debt, especially if you are using the product multiple times or have more than one account.
The FCA reported an increasing number of Australians coming to them with a large BNPL debt burden, while its been reported as many as one in five Australian adults have a BNPL debt.
Desite concerns about the ad’s messaging, Ad Standards has said it was unable to take any complaint further as concerns about the spot’s use of kids and discussion of financial products were not covered by its code.
FCA has launched an online petition in a bid to force Afterpay to remove the ad.
In response, Afterpay said the campaign is intended to spread awareness of Afterpay in a “lighthearted and relatable way”.
Afterpay Australia New Zealand communications director Louisa Galligani said the spot’s different scenarios focused on “different storytelling moments” – from in a shop, to at the gym and on the couch.
“The scene that includes a child and parent is a humorous way for Afterpay to demonstrate the simplicity and transparency of our product, especially when compared with much more expensive and risky products such as credit cards,” Galligani said.
Please login with linkedin to comment
-
Latest comments
Latest News
Cummins&Partners Welcomes Tim Collier As New Head of Strategy
Cummins&partners ramps up its client strategy offerings and its Dungeons And Dragons staff team with latest recruit.
‘Let’s Break Ingrained Industry Muscle Memory & Help Marketers Keep Their Job’ – Mat Baxter On Why He Joined Mutinex
The adland sage has joined marketing platform Mutinex which, admittedly, sounds like a high-fibre breakfast cereal.
Today The Brave Snares Alyce Gillis From Havas Host
In what may be seen as another win for the indies but possibly shouldn't, Havas' Alyce Gillis joins Today The Brave.
TAC Wakes Victorians Up To The Risks Of Driving Fatigued In A New Campaign Via Clemenger BBDO
Latest Clems campaign highlights the dangers of driving tired. Or, worse, listening to Guy Sebastian while on the road.
TikTok Partners With Billie Eilish To Launch New Fan Spotlight Feature
Did you know that Billie Eilish has won two Academy Awards? Which is two more than both Tom Cruise & Megan Fox.
TorchMedia Secures Sydney Light Rail Advertising Contract
Judging by the painfully slow speed of the Sydney Light Rail, advertisers certainly get excellent dwell time.
TV Ratings (21/05/2024): Todd & Dustin Find Love As Farmer Wants A Wife Comes To A Close
Judging by Farmer Wants A Wife's success, you'd reckon the National Party would be of way more interest to voters.
Senior Appointments Expand Hatched Sydney Team
New appointments at media agency Matched. Unlike press photo outfits that are daringly contrary to the idea.
History Will Be Kind Builds Client Portfolio With Appointment Of Koskela
HWBK nabs sustainable furniture maker Koskela's PR. Also takes the opportunity to replace ageing boardroom table.
JCDecaux Launches Dominion Road SMARTFRAME
It's rare outdoor news from New Zealand today. And you think it's bloody freezing in Australia at the moment.
Innocean Australia Announces Giorgia Butler As New Chief Strategy Officer
Giorgia Butler named Innocean's chief strategy officer. Thankfully cupcakes weren't served at the staff announcement.
INVNT Appointed Creative Experiential Partner For SXSW 2024
The countdown's on for this year's SXSW in Sydney. Alas, B&T unsure what the actual count is at the present time.
The Media Store Wins Melbourne Royal Show Media Account
Media Store's rose garden set to bloom thanks to new manure after agency snares the Melbourne Royal Show's media.
Toby Jenner: ‘The Power And Energy Of Our Good Teams Will Get Us Through Tough Times’
Toby Jenner has been named global president of GroupM clients & B&T was 9th on the phone to offer our congrats.
Foxcatcher & InMobi Partner To Enhance Media Planning And Activation
Foxcatcher & InMobi unveil plans for a new collaboration that thankfully hasn't required any hounds to be released.
Brookvale Breweries & Distilleries Launch Three Days Of Savoury Bites, Delicious Pints And Spirits
The goodly folk on Sydney's northern beaches need little prodding to drink, so this has 'sold out' written all over it.
VALE Dennis Merchant – A Giant Of The Media Industry
In terribly sad news today, Aussie adland legend Dennis Merchant has passed away at the age of 82.
Gravity Media Australia To Deliver Crankworx Cairns For Red Bull TV
Are you a committed mountain bike enthusiast? Cairns is where you need to take your grazed knees & concussions.
Connecting Plots Nabs Former Saatchi & Saatchi Leader Craig Page
Connecting Plots turns the Page with this hire.
Roger Federer & Rafael Nadal Revive Core Values Campaign For Louis Vuitton
If Rafael misses his next match with a runny nose you'll know why with these inappropriately dressed mountain images.
Orphan Steals The Show At Australian Fashion Week With World-First ‘The Last Season Collection’
Australian Fashion Week has been run & done for another year, meaning lots of people can now go back to eating solids.
One Year Later, Is BAR Ogilvy’s Livingfont Making A Difference?
As super important as they are, these animal extinction campaigns can be a mega downer for the unprepared.
“These Issues Aren’t Unique To Our Industry”: Rose Herceg Chats To B&T Ahead Of Create Space Census Results
Rose Herceg admits struggles with diversity & inclusion aren't unique to adland. Take F1 racing as an example.
Kieran Moore: ‘No Client Has Ever Asked For More Junior People On Their Account’
PR guru Kieran Moore's talking the dangers of ageism. That said, it remains a good thing for red wine & prosciutto.
Zitcha appoints Josh Forsyth as sales lead to drive retail media growth across APAC
Zitcha names Josh Forsyth as its APAC sales lead, as confusion reigns over the Maldives' APAC claims.
Moët Hennessy NZ Adds Special PR To Agency Roster
If there's a client you want on the books it's Moët Hennessy. Ben & Jerry's would also be fantastic, albeit fattening.
Dylan Alcott, Ellie Cole & Kurt Fearnley To Headline Nine’s Paralympics Coverage
They say Olympics is more aspirational & Paralympics is more inspirational, but B&T is here for goalball & murderball.
The Monkeys, Howatson+Co, VML Australia Win Big At The One Show’s Awards
A top showing saw Australia ranked fifth globally, well above our friends over the Ditch.
Readers Are Looking To Books For Escape – Should They Look To Adverts, Too?
Are you or someone you know a bibliophile? That's a lover of books & not an 80s paper filing system. Read on here.
TV Ratings (19 May 2024): Nine’s Travel Guides Goes Head To Head With Seven’s Farmer Wants A Wife
Love travelling to Kuta to watch the lads from the Currawong Goannas footy club whoop it up? Travel Guides is a must.
Sky New Zealand Initiates Process For Advertising Sales Representation In Australia
Sure, on the surface they pretend to despise us, but this news offering proves the Kiwis love of all things Australian.
Opinion: Queer & Present Danger – Australia’s Battle For LGBTQ+ Recognition Through Communication
Aside from this absolute cracker of a headline, Think HQ's Blake Mason piece is very important.
Val Morgan Digital Partners With Audigent To Connect Brands With Passionate Audiences At Scale
Cinema advertiser Val Morgan announces partnership with data platform Audigent. Neither commenting on the new Mad Max.
International Olympic Committee Launches “The First Effect” Campaign, Via Deloitte Digital
The Paris Games are a mere 64 days away. Let this ad be the trickle before the Olympic ad storm.
‘Marketing In The Cockpit, Creativity, Partnerships, Failure And Dream Big’ – Josh Faulks’ Five Takeaways From RESET
Missed AANA RESET or worse, accidentally doze off during said conference? Relive the highlights again here.
Nine Promotes Nikki Rooke To Replace Richard Hunwick As Director Of Sales – Total TV
Nine names Nikki Rooke as Richard Hunwick's successor. Yet to politely mention the boxes in Richard's former car spot.
Afterpay, like all BNPL is credit but does not require a credit check. This is a huge loophole in the law. ASIC says 20% of BNPL users pay late fees and BNPL merchants pay fees of 3%-7% but retailers are banned from offering a better price for up-front buyers. This is an obvious case of discrimination against consumers who save and pay with cash (or card). And yes the Rebel Wilson ad is disturbing. A credit card company would not be able to get away with it.