Cell C fails in attack on MTN ad
The Advertising Standards Authority of South Africa (ASA) dismissed a complaint by Cell C against MTN’s Mobile Money Reseller Project advertising, which promises to a put a dent in unemployment.
The MTN advertisement contains the heading “Let’s try to put a dent in unemployment”, adding that the Mobile Money Reseller Project gives South Africans the opportunity to make money by reselling airtime.
“For every amount sold, 5% of the airtime value will be deposited into the reseller’s Mobile Money Account, giving him or her the opportunity to build and sustain a regular source of income,” the ad states.
Cell C was not happy with MTN’s claims, saying that MTN’s Mobile Money Reseller Project is not an employment opportunity.
“Unlike real income, the problem with Mobile Money is that it has limited spending capacity,” Cell C argued.
Cell C said that the MTN reseller system does not provide any realistic way for a person to earn the “minimum salaries for domestic worker” of R1,877 per month.
ASA ruling
The ASA was not convinced by Cell C’s argument, saying that an Airtime Reseller will “undeniably have the opportunity to make money and earn an income”.
The authority added that the MTN advertisement does not encourage people to rely on the Mobile Money Reseller Project offering alone, or to forego any other employment opportunities.
The ASA ruled that the advertisement is not misleading, and hence dismissed Cell C’s complaint.
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