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? 😭😭😭 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
"What’s your wildest story that sounds too far-fetched to be true?"
Redditors' interactions with animals were either empowering or terrifying.
A Chihuahua's Hero
"Mine is when I was in high school I lived out in the countryside of Central Texas. I was just kind of bumbling around on the property and my mom's little chihuahua was tagging along. I heard a bird, saw a fast moving shadow, and threw my arm out, slapping a hawk out of the sky as it tried to get my mom's chihuahua."
"Cut my arm pretty good, but saved that little rat of a dog. The chihuahua went on to pass away at a smooth 19 years old."
– itsthattedguy
Brush With An Owl
"I worked nights in college. I'd always take my two dogs out to pee when I got home and one late night an owl tried to snatch my Chihuahua but thankfully missed. My golden retriever ran back inside like the owl was going to somehow take his 60lb a** but my chi stood his ground like he could take it on. I got him inside and was much more careful after that. He, too, passed at 19. I miss him."
– jacyerickson
"I was almost drowned by a pod of dolphins while surfing at Salt Creek, Orange County, CA. I got up on a wave and one of them knocked me over, 2 wave pin down on a 5-7 ft day."
– jppope
These could be plot points in a movie.
Reunited Leash
"I was surfing in Santa Barbara County when I was a kid, maybe 14 or 15. When I would come in from a surf, I had the habit of undoing my leash from my leg while I was walking in the shallow water. Unbeknownst to me, the other side of the leash that connects to the board had come off. I lost my leash. I searched around the tidal zone but no luck. I was bummed but I just moved on."
"Three weeks later, I was surfing in Ventura county, and as I was walking in from the surf, a piece of kelp wrapped around my leg. I reached down to pull it off. It wasn’t kelp, it was my leash I’d lost a dozen miles north a few weeks back. It had algae and stuff growing on it, but no mistaking it was absolutely my leash."
– shah357
The Origin Of Love
"When my dad and step-mom met, my dad swore he’d met her before, but couldn’t remember when or where. Eventually, he decided he’d seen her in Cody, Wyoming, the town where he grew up. She swore she’d never even been to Wyoming (she’s from Oregon and that’s where they met)."
"Several years later, after they’d been married a while, step-mom mentions to her mom that my dad swears he met her in Cody, but she’s never been there. Her mom says 'Yes, you have,' and pulls out a photograph from 1956 of her, age 9, riding on a mechanical horse (a kid one) and in the background, standing around in the crowd, is my dad and his two brothers, ages 8, 10, and 11."
"She submitted the story to a local magazine for a Valentine’s Day contest one year and won a trip to a resort."
"Some honorable mentions: By the time I was 20, I was 1 degree of separation away from 5 different people who’d been murdered by 3 different serial killers (gotta love the PNW), and I almost hit Bob Dylan with my car once."
– JessicaGriffin
Getting Lit
"First time I ever smoked pot a police helicopter hovered above me and my friend and hit us with the spotlight. They were looking for someone else apparently because they immediately moved on. Nonetheless…"
– igottathinkofaname
VIP Client
"I took my VW to the dealer to get some work done. The service rep at the counter was so hung over (possibly still intoxicated) that he couldn’t handle completing the paper work. He told the tech that I was a VIP, specifically 'Britni Spears’s brother' and that he owed me a favor, so the work was on the house and they just never did any paperwork, didn’t charge me a dime, did the work, handed me the keys, and away I drove."
– peteschirmer
These Redditors couldn't believe their luck.
Contest Winner
"I won a two week cruise vacation for two in a contest."
"I never entered the contest."
"I was convinced I was being scammed."
"Even from the beaches of the Caribbean, I still wasn't convinced."
– Tokiw4
The Generous Friend
"Was in Vegas for a work thing. I was not happy about being there because it was a tough time in my life, money was really tight and Vegas is the last place you want to be when money is tight."
"I was telling my buddy about it and he says, 'Im going to pay pal you $150. Go play the poker tournament at the Venetian at night. You can drink for free and hopefully you last long. If you win anything, pay me back, if not, no worries.'"
"So I did. Won the tournament! $3200."
"The second night, I went off to play some craps alone one night because I did not like the work people and did not want to hang with them."
"Started with $200. 45 minuted later I 7’d out and had $37,000. Cashed out and told no one!"
"On the drive back (I lived in Phoenix) I called my buddy and told him (only) about it. I sent him $2500."
– Raspberries-Are-Evil
Beginner's Luck
"The one time I went to Vegas at the proper age of 21, I won $2000 on my first spin on the 25c slot machine. I didn't gamble the rest of the time and enjoyed the fact that my trip paid for itself. Came home with all the money I left with and an extra $800. Didn't tell my bf I was with at the time either; he would have tried to spend my money."
– KnowItOrBlowIt
Given A Second Chance
"I went jogging one night and came across a lady laid out face first. No heart beat. Started doing cpr. Never saw another person was able to call 911 while doing cpr. Kept at it twenty Minutes till FD got there. She made a full recovery. They said cpr that long has a 95% fail rate."
– DullAd2253
A friend back in high school told me he was a vampire when he dropped me off from band practice.
This was at a time when Anne Rice was super popular and everyone was reading the Lestat books.
Being an impressionable 15-year-old at the time, I believed him, because he warned me that if I ever revealed his identity to anyone, "I will find you."
A couple of years ago, I reunited with a mutual friend and I joked about how I believed so-and-so was a creature of the night. We nervously laughed.
Whether my blood-thirsty friend was weighing on my conscience or not, I've been visited by him in COUNTLESS dreams ever since I told my friend about him.
Call it what you want–paranoia or self-fulfilling prophecy–but there are some things in this realm I will never be able to explain.
I'm just glad I'm still here to talk about it now that I let the proverbial cat out of the bag.
