The offending ad by Approved Mortgage Brokers, which operates in Auckland and Wellington, featured a broker sitting across from a bank manager negotiating a loan for a client. The broker produces photos of the manager and a woman, not his wife.
Mark Porter, regional mobile manager at National Bank, who says his complaint was personal and not made on behalf of the bank, took the view that the ad was implying that the manager was being blackmailed.
"My staff of 14 and myself take great pride in what we do for our customers, with two of the core values we operate by being integrity and exceeding expectations," Porter’s complaint read.
He had found another Approved Mortgage Brokers’ ad even more offensive, but hadn’t complained about that one because of confusion on the dates it was aired. This one showed a bank manager tied to the front of a four-wheel drive and suggested this was how the broking firm deals with bank managers.
"In terms of being a banker, I found it a bit offensive," Porter says.
Nevertheless, the board didn’t uphold his complaint. "In the majority’s view, the viewer would be well aware of the farcical nature of the scenario and would not interpret it literally, that is that bank managers were able to be bribed or likely to have had secret extra-marital relationships," the board said.
Porter says the decision was obviously a split one. He says he was pleased to know that, because of his complaint and complaints from others, the ads won’t be repeated. He adds that he doesn’t have any day to day contact with the broking firm.
Karl Baker, founder of Approved, says Porter and others had interpreted the ads in ways not intended. "In a crowded financial services market, you have to be saying something different," he says. Proof of the pudding, as far as Baker is concerned is that the ads worked. "Our lending increased because of it."
But the firm’s next campaign will look different. "We don’t ourselves think these concerns are correct, but they (bankers) are our suppliers so it’s our responsibility to take notice," Baker says.
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