Klarna launches experiential consumer activation in Manchester to educate consumers on UK social media advertising guidelines

Klarna, the leading global banking, payments and shopping service, is launching an experiential activation in the heart of Manchester to raise awareness amongst consumers and influencers regarding social media advertising guidelines.

The activation, a pop-up double decker bus located in Manchester’s popular Spinningfields, aims to increase awareness of current social media rules, and help consumers recognise when they’re seeing an advert. Klarna’s bus follows its recently launched Influencer Council Whitepaper, a guide intended to be used by brands and influencers to advertise responsibly across social media.

With brands and influencers increasingly partnering, Klarna is taking a proactive step forward in bringing greater transparency to consumers so they understand when they are seeing a paid for advert versus organic content on social media. The Influencer Council Whitepaper also provides greater clarity to influencers and brands on the parameters of
paid for partnerships in a bid to drive responsible marketing practices across the industry more broadly.

The double decker bus in the heart of Manchester’s Spinningfields is full of instagrammable moments with an educational twist. It is Klarna’s first in person event since the pandemic and marks a return to Manchester following their successful House of Klarna takeover on King Street in 2019.

The 39ft space will host a range of activations from 13th – 14th August 2021 aimed at encouraging engagement and education within a fun environment. Consumers and influencers will gain access to the experience by correctly answering three questions on the Klarna’s new social media advertising guidelines. The experience on the bus will include educational moments throughout, from educational graphics to accompany each instagrammable moment, and audio experiences to help educate the attendees.

AJ Coyne, Head of UK Marketing at Klarna said: “We are excited to return to Manchester and continue a conversation that’s becoming increasingly important in modern day life responsible advertising on social channels. As social media plays an increasingly present role in our lives, it’s vital that consumers are fully aware of when they are being advertised to. Our Influencer Council and subsequent whitepaper serves as a guide for brands and influencers looking to be responsible and we’re looking forward to bringing this to life in a more visual way through our pop-up in Manchester’s Spinningfields.”

The Influencer Council, formed in March 2021, was established to provide greater clarity on influencer marketing guidelines following research which revealed that only one quarter (27%) of UK consumers understood the use of advertising tags on influencers’ posts.

The Council, chaired by Christian Howes, brought together brands, agencies, influencers, psychotherapists, policy members and the Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP) to provide a well-rounded perspective from across the industry.

Covering a range of angles, including responsibility, geography and age range, transparency, emotive language and terminology, the whitepaper delivers a set of guidelines for influencers and brands to follow when posting financial content. The guidelines go further than any materials and guidance previously available creating better protection of brands, consumers and influencers.

Accompanying the Whitepaper, Klarna has also released a toolkit which includes branded stickers, Instagram story templates and badges to clearly illustrate the nature of the post, whether it’s an advert, part of an affiliate agreement or a gifted product.

With over 90 million global active users and 2 million transactions a day, Klarna is meeting the changing demands of consumers who want to shop, pay and bank on one intuitive platform and with one trusted brand. Over 250,000 global retail partners, including H&M, Saks, Sephora, Macys, IKEA, Expedia Group, Samsung, ASOS, Peloton, Ralph Lauren,
Abercrombie & Fitch, Nike and Shein have enabled Klarna’s innovative shopping experience online and in-store. Klarna is one of the most highly valued private fintechs globally with a valuation of $45.6 billion. Klarna was founded in 2005, has over 4,000 employees and is active in 17 markets. Klarna has been backed by Sequoia Capital since 2010 and more
recently, SilverLake, Dragoneer, Bestseller Group, Permira, Ant Group, HMI Capital, TCV, NorthZone, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Merian Chrysalis Investment Company Limited, funds and accounts managed by BlackRock amongst others