Wonga is a really smart marketing company

For the benefit of non-UK visitors to my blog - Wonga is a online company that provides short term loans to people (days rather than months) and it has annoyed the hell out of the British establishment. The leader of the opposition has even started talking about the "Wonga economy". The Archbishop of Canterbury was so incensed that he wants to establish a church competitor!

The value of the PR that Wonga has received by the jumping about of the UK worthies must run into £10s of  millions.

Why is it so loathed by parts of the UK establishment? Wonga charges what seems are 'excessive' rates of interest for the pleasure of borrowing its money. And of course the company has been very successful, which in the eyes of many Brits, means it must be 'exploiting' its customers.

Anyway, I have already written about the way the company uses very old looking people in its advertisements. On reflection I think this was a really smart decision.

To try and counter the accusation that it is grinding the faces of the poor into the ground it has launched a series of short videos depicting its customers. Full marks for such an age-neutral approach.

You can see all of the video clips here.  Dick Stroud