CC image courtesy of Public Relations at MTN Yemen1 on Flickr.
The Advertising Standards Authority of South Africa (ASA) has dismissed a complaint by Cell C which claimed an advertisement published by MTN in the Sunday Times last month misled readers into thinking they could acquire “significant earnings”.
MTN’s “unemployment” advert read: “When the unemployment rate keeps rising, it puts massive strain on businesses, the economy and, most importantly, the people of South Africa. That’s why we’re introducing the Mobile Money Reseller Project.”
The programme allows subscribers to make money by reselling airtime, pocketing five per cent of every transaction.
However Cell C said the advert would result in readers thinking the initiative was an employment opportunity.
The company also said the position was exacerbated by another advert in the same publication saying MTN is a “a major taxpayer who contributes to the employment of thousands of South Africans” and it is “… doing what’s right for the people of South Africa…being a network that creates lasting wealth for everyone”.
Cell C said a distinction should be made between real money and mobile money which has a limited spending capacity.
“The overall communication is therefore misleading not only to prospective customers, but altruistic high-income consumers who are given an incorrect impression of the reality. In doing this, the respondent is abusing the credulity of low-income consumers,” Cell C said in its complaint.
However, the ASA ruled the advertisement was not misleading.
“From the submissions it appears that an Airtime Reseller will undeniably have the opportunity to make money and earn an income (even if a limited one) from the Mobile Money Reseller Project offering,” the ASA said.
“The fact that one’s income is directly dependant on how much airtime one re-sells is immediately apparent and there can be no question that readers of the advertisement would instinctively realise this, which negates any argument of deception or exploitation.”
