Instagram posts promoting Klarna’s deferred payment service held to be “irresponsible” – 23 December 2020

Following complaints by Stella Creasy MP, posts uploaded to Instagram by four influencers in association with Klarna have been banned and must not appear again in their current form. The ASA found that the posts encouraged the use of Klarna’s deferred payment service in an irresponsible manner. The advertisements all made references to using Klarna to purchase beauty or fashion products in order to boost moods during the Covid-19 lockdown period. In the context of difficult and uncertain circumstances faced by many consumers during this time, the ASA ruled that the posts encouraged the use of credit in an irresponsible manner and were therefore in breach of the CAP code.