Klarna turns to murals and QR codes to “set the record straight”

Rarely a day goes by that Klarna is not making headlines, both good and bad, and it seems that it has decided to tackle misconceptions about its business straight on.

The buy-now-pay-later fintech is inviting consumers to learn more about its brand through a series of murals digitally designed by famous Spanish artist Ignasi Monreal.

In true remote working fashion, the murals were designed by Monreal in his studio in Rome before being painted in seven different locations across the UK, including three in London, two in Manchester and one each in Liverpool and Birmingham.

All customers have to do is scan the QR code in each painting and, once scanned, consumers are directed to a virtual gallery.

“Transparency is everything to us at Klarna and for too long misconceptions have existed about our brand, so we decided the best way to address this was head-on and invite consumers to discover the truth,” AJ Coyne, head of marketing said.

“Given the ridiculous nature of the myths, we decided to create some epic mythical paintings and display them proudly across the UK.”

For each artwork, Klarna has also designed a Mythbuster Challenge with the answers hidden in the visuals of each painting.

“A traditional media approach is not sufficient to change behaviour, so instead we’re inviting consumers to debunk in real-time via our interactive experience and discover the truth for themselves,” Coyne added.

Consumers who take part in the challenges are also in the running for one of four prizes, one of which is the Design Classics bundle. 

The winner will win a weekend stay at Claridges and a £10,000 donation to Beauty Banks, the hygiene poverty charity, in the winner’s name.

Klarna recently opened a new office a stone’s throw away from its London murals.

The buy-now-pay-later fintech is moving into WeWork’s Aviation House in Holborn after packing up its Oxford Circus office to move into greener pastures.

Klarna has also recently introduced carbon footprint insights for its 90m customers across the globe. 

The new feature is being rolled out as part of Klarna’s one per cent pledge, with the fintech pledging one per cent of its most recent $1bn funding round, or $10m, to planet-friendly initiatives.

Klarna is also aiming to reduce its emissions by 50 per cent 2030 and from 2021 and it will make annual financial contributions to high-impact climate projects, including carbon removal, reforestation and forest protection.