Ad agency Albion severs ties with client Wonga
Wonga’s ad agency Albion has cut ties with the controversial pay lender known for its shor-term, high interest loans.
The London ad agency, which was behind well-known Wonga TV ad campaigns featuring puppets of pensioners, has said it will no longer work with the company due to a disagreement over the way the company operates.
Wonga has opened up pitches for its creative account and Albion, which has worked with the lender since 2011, has reportedly ruled itself out of the repitching process.
An Albion spokesperson said: "We’ve worked with Wonga since 2011. We created some memorable work in that time across the Wonga brand, product and communications that took them from a disruptive start-up to the mainstream.
"However, there have been certain practices that we now know went on before we worked with the business and then during the tenure of our relationship that we were unaware of and that we categorically do not agree with.
"We’ve decided it’s the right time to now cut ties and therefore not repitch for the business, but we wish Wonga well in the next stage of their journey."
Wonga has come under fire multiple times over the last few years, during which it faced accusations for drafting fictitious legal letters as part of a mass debt retrieval programme.
Although it was not prosecuted for the charges it has had to tighten its lending procedures and Wonga chairman Andy Haste publicaly revealed his intentions to "repair" the reputation of the company.
At the time he joined last July he said that this shake-up would see the end of the brand’s famous grandparent puppets - as part of its intentions to distance Wonga from any connotation that it is targeting children.