Self Lender is a real company that, according to its website, helps people "begin their financial journey with a credit builder account," while also saving them some money.
The picture that Twitter user Pitbull Updates posted on October 29 of a supposed text conversation between Self Lender and a potential client were actually photoshopped for comedic effect.
But that didn't stop a hoard of people from praising the company's "youth led" marketing strategy before giving Self Lender a try.
With the caption "Instagram ads are getting out of hand," Pitbull Updates posted a photo of a supposed crass conversation between Self Lender and a potential customer.
Instagram ads are getting out of hand https://t.co/c6JEVLgDyV— Pitbull Updates (@Pitbull Updates)1540846071.0
The photo went mega-viral, with many other accounts endlessly sharing the image!
I’m still screaming at this https://t.co/eYtu3IjFLf— side chick (@side chick)1540878000.0
😂💀💀💀💀 i know ppl who use self lender. Wtf? ðŸ˜ðŸ˜ðŸ˜ https://t.co/q5jVORmlt4— Shay (@Shay)1540928162.0
@buckypeggy *downloads self lender*— patrick (@patrick)1540922099.0
As the photo spread across the internet, many commended the company for its relatable marketing strategy.
Real talk—it's what the kids are into these days!
You can always tell the difference between an adult led PR team trying to appeal to the youth and a PR team of actu… https://t.co/f97ixh3KeH— Kelly (@Kelly)1540905838.0
@lustedafter @TyMangino self lender: get the attention of millennials marketing dept: say no more— Amber Esparza (@Amber Esparza)1541002724.0
@Lando_1207 I’ve heard self lender is cool too— Zakiya 🌻 (@Zakiya 🌻)1541097130.0
So relatable, I might just get self lender https://t.co/ojClSw4HQh— Obi’s Lens📸 (@Obi’s Lens📸)1540926506.0
What many of these people didn't know was that the ad was a fake.
According to Self Lender, the real version of the ad looks like this:
But here's the twist: the fake ad for Self Lender that went viral has inspired real-world customers to flock to the service!
According to Brett Billick, the chief marketing officer for Self Lender:
"We have seen an increase in traffic and have had people reaching out quite a bit...We definitely think that some of the increase in traffic is from how viral it has become. There are clearly people who are now asking 'Who the bleep is Self Lender?' And there are people who are chiming in laughing but also responding who are customers."
Billick might just be onto something.
People absolutely LOVE the fake ad.
@lustedafter WHO IS ON THEIR MARKETING TEAM https://t.co/ecxlsK7Ebi— krystal mephanie✨ (@krystal mephanie✨)1540878273.0
@lustedafter @SheaLoges can't wait to see what 2019 social media marketing looks like at this rate lol— Em Parker (@Em Parker)1540931552.0
@lustedafter I AM FUCKING SCRREAAMMIINGG— ✨Ricky Ticky Tan✨ (@✨Ricky Ticky Tan✨)1540922922.0
@lustedafter @spacebabe298 now this is how you get real customers— hoestrology 🖤 (@hoestrology 🖤)1540938212.0
@lustedafter @jasonguptill13 If this is the direction that marketing is heading I might be looking into a career change— Tyler Bainbridge (@Tyler Bainbridge)1540938949.0
Pitbull Updates said he had no idea the photoshopped picture would do so well, or that it would inspire real web traffic to Self Lender's website.
"I decided to photoshop it because the original ad was like 'eh,' and I was like, it'd be pretty funny if the ad looked like how people actually talk. I literally didn't know people would think it would be real. I thought it'd just get like a couple retweets."
@SelfLender REHIRE THEM THAT WAS GOOD MARKETING— hazal🥀 (@hazal🥀)1541187722.0
God bless @SelfLender’s marketing department https://t.co/5eBqPkSiDQ— michael (@michael)1540936084.0
Of course, that doesn't mean he's getting any payment for his role in Self Lender's newfound success.
"I'm not even getting compensated."
H/T - Buzzfeed, The Daily Dot
Wanna jump off the bandwagon? Then keep reading!
U/lit3rallyuseless asked: What doesn't deserve the hate it gets?
​Film and media are probably the biggest contender for being hated on randomly. It may seem harmless, but not always deserved.
Actors are people too!
Actors who played characters that people didn't like.
Really if you hated the character then the actor did a good job (assuming that was the role).
The best cartoons.
nice day summer GIF by PBS KIDSGiphyChild cartoons. Some are actually really good, even as an adult.
I feel like watching cartoons aimed at generally a younger audience allows for you to be reminded of some life lessons, I know I forget some things, or didn't realise others, or it at least partially renews my awareness of something I should still like or appreciate
This doesn't deserve awards, it's just my opinion that is apparently shared by many.
This man did nothing wrong.
Guy Fieri, he literally is the nicest person in the world but since he looks like he was electrocuted by mountain dew people want to saw his head off.
Even before that, I was witness to his other charitable work. A few years back, Santa Rosa was hit by some terrible fires and he showed up at a few shelters and personally cooked up and served some killer buffet food. No cameras, no massive team of PR, just a dude with an assistant to keep him on schedule to hit up other shelters in the area. Guy Fieri legit earned a lot of respect in my book for that.
You know who DEFINITELY doesn’t deserve hate? Animals. They’re just living their best lives, and need to be left alone.​
The best cats.
Black cats.
We got a black cat for the first time last year. I've since formulated the theory that black cats might get some of their reputation from the fact that people can't see them well in the dark and so they seemingly appear out of nowhere and they might be instinctually cautious because they know people have a tendency to kick them while walking in the dark. Our black cat is the sweetest cat I've ever known.
They get a bad rep.
Discovery Sharks GIF by Shark WeekGiphySharks. They are beautiful, complex creatures, deserving of respect and, like any wild animal should be left alone in their natural habitat, but they get this reputation as vicious bloodthirsty monsters. This is only because every shark attack is news, and only then because they are so rare. More people are killed EVERY DAY by mosquitoes than sharks kill in a year.
Any apex predator that has remained evolutionarily unchanged for hundreds of millions of years, whose existance predates TREES, is deserving or our respect and admiration. Shine on, you crazy cartlaginous fish, shine on.
So cute too!
Opossums. They're neat little critters. They eat tons of ticks that carry Lyme disease, (mostly) don't carry rabies because their body temp is too low, and they're the only marsupial native to North America! They get a bad rap because their first defense is to hiss and bare teeth, but failing that, they just play dead.
If you don't have the predisposition to hate them, you'll find they're pretty cute too.
E: this is about /opossums/, the north American species.
Kiwis, I feel for you, but this comment isn't about your possums.
​Hating on other people for just living their lives also seems to be a big contender for things that don’t deserve to be hated on.
This is so true.
Unemployed people. A lot of people genuinely are looking for work and did not want to lose their last job/it was beyond their control (like a layoff) but they get so much hate and called lazy by most people. I know too many unemployed people that are actually really trying hard. They definitely aren't lazy. (Not saying lazy unemployed people don't exist, but to be fair, so do lazy employed people too lol)
Leave the weather man alone!
Fox Raining GIF by Family GuyGiphyMeteorologists. They try their best to predict the weather based on patterns, models, and data. They're not perfect because predicting the weather is insanely difficult. When they get it wrong, I think we should go easy on them. It was probably an outlier result almost no one could have foreseen.
I've seen people get angry over the meteorologists for getting it right. Like they control the weather - it is their fault we are having rain, that kind of BS. Never made sense to me, but hey, I have plenty of relatives I clashed with growing up.
Please stop being d*cks to these people.
Customer service associates.
I hate when customers think that I, the minimum wage person forced to sit there and listen to them yell, am personally responsible for every policy they disagree with. Like, ma'am, if I had that much power and influence, I wouldn't be sitting here on a Saturday evening serving you.
Wholesome and necessary.
People don't deserve hate they give themselves when they are not doing too good at the moment.
I'm in a weird place and I didn't know I needed to read this. Thanks buddy.
If you haven't heard it from anyone else today, I'm proud of you.
It seems like people hate on things simply because they think they're meant to hate them. But you can always be the change and make an effort to stop being an a**hole about certain things.
No matter what though, sometimes haters gonna hate