The ASA received 13 complaints over text messages sent to promote the payday loans website.
Five of the complainants challenged whether the text messages were unsolicited; five of the complainants objected that some of the ads were irresponsible because they suggested a loan should be used to fund a social life; and ten of the complainants objected that the familiar style of address in the ads did not make clear that the text messages were a marketing communication.
The ASA upheld the complaints and told First Financial and Akklaim Telecoms to ensure text message ads were clearly identifiable as marketing communications and were only sent to those who had given explicit consent to receive them .