The ASA has passed on a 'small number' of complaints in connection with the ads
(
Iona Bain
)
The City watchdog will probe an advertising campaign by banking app Revolut which some have accused of “single-shaming”.
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has referred complaints about Revolut’s ads to the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).
Revolut’s adverts said: “To the 12,750 people who ordered a single takeaway on Valentine’s Day. You ok, hun?”
We’ll tell you what’s true. You can form your own view.
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Critics suggested the ad used patronising language and served to remind people of banks’ improper use of their data.
The founder of the Young Money Blog Iona Bain shared a photo on Twitter of a Revolut advert that she’d spotted on the London Underground.
Business news: In pictures
Show all 11
Business news: In pictures
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1/11 Corbyn wishes Amazon a happy birthday
In a card sent to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos on the company's 25th birthday, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn writes: "You owe the British people millions in taxes that pay for the public services that we all rely on. Please pay your fair share"
2/11 No deal, no tariffs
The government has announced that it would slash almost all tariffs in the event of a no-deal Brexit. Notable exceptions include cars and meat, which will see tariffs in place to protect British farmers
Getty
3/11 Fingerprint payment
NatWest is trialling a new bank card that will allow people to touch their hand to the card when paying rather than typing in a PIN number. The card will work by recognising the user's fingerprint
NatWest/PA Wire
4/11 Mahabis bust
High-end slipper retailer Mahabis has gone into administration. 2 Jan 2019
Mahabis
5/11 Costa Cola
Coca-Cola has paid £3.9bn for Costa Coffee. A cafe chain is a new venture for the global soft drinks giant
PA
6/11 RIP Payday Loans
A funeral procession for payday loans was held in London on September 2. The future of pay day lenders is in doubt after Wonga, Britain's biggest, went into administration on August 30
PA
7/11 Musk irks investors and directors
Elon Musk has concluded that Tesla will remain public. Investors and company directors were angry at Musk for tweeting unexpectedly that he was considering taking Tesla private and share prices had taken a tumble in the following weeks
Getty
8/11 Jaguar warning
Iconic British car maker Jaguar Land Rover warned on July 5, 2018 that a "bad" Brexit deal could jeopardise planned investment of more than $100 billion, upping corporate pressure as the government heads into crucial talks
AFP/Getty
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Spotify traded publically for the first time on the New York Stock Exchange on Tuesday. However, the company isn't issuing shares, but rather, shares held by Spotify's private investors will be sold
AFP/Getty
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The deadline to award a contract to make blue British passports after Brexit has been extended by two weeks following a request by bidder De La Rue. The move comes after anger at the announcement British passports would be produced by Franco-Dutch firm Gemalto when De La Rue’s contract ends in July.
The British firm said Gemalto was chosen only because it undercut the competition, but the UK company also admitted that it was not the cheapest choice in the tendering process.
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The Beast from the East wiped £4m off of Flybe’s revenues due to flight cancellations, airport closures and delays, according to the budget airline’s estimates. Flybe said it cancelled 994 flights in the three months to 31 March, compared to 372 in the same period last year.
“How much does this ad infuriate me? Let me count the ways. Firstly, patronising language and awful single-shaming more redolent of early 2000s Bridget Jones, not a modern and empowered fintech brand,” Ms Bain tweeted.
“Secondly, the way it pries into people’s private spending and exploits it so strangers can laugh at perfectly valid life choices that – we’re all expected to agree – are sad and pathetic. Not exactly caring and progressive.”
The advert has drawn comparisons with a series of 2016 Spotify posters, one of which seemingly expressed concern for singletons on Valentine’s Day.
“Dear person who listened to the ‘Forever Alone’ playlist for four hours on Valentine’s Day, you OK?” the caption on the poster read.
In a statement on Friday, the ASA said: “We received a small number of complaints in connection with the Revolut ads.
“Where these make claims about the product or service it falls within the remit of the FCA, and we have passed on complaints that deal with these for their consideration.”
Revolut said it was hosting a Valentine’s Day drinks event at its London office for “anyone who doesn’t yet have plans”, but declined to comment on the adverts.
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The existing Open Comments threads will continue to exist for those who do not subscribe to Independent Minds. Due to the sheer scale of this comment community, we are not able to give each post the same level of attention, but we have preserved this area in the interests of open debate. Please continue to respect all commenters and create constructive debates.