Sainsbury’s has been forced to make amendments to a marketing campaign for its Brand Match price matching service.
The Advertising Standards Authority has banned the ad, which it deemed misleading, and ordered Sainsbury’s to change its wording if it is used again.
Under the Brand Match campaign, Sainsbury’ matches the cost of branded goods at Asda or Tesco on a basket worth more than £20, giving shoppers a coupon for the difference if they could have got the shop cheaper elsewhere.
A complaint was lodged by two viewers about the ad based on the fact that as Brand Match compares the total price of a branded shop, any coupon for the difference will be lowered if items on offer at Sainsbury’s were most expensive at Asda or Tesco. This would mean that consumers still require shopping around to get the best deal.
The ad watchdog upheld the complaints, terming the ads misleading and banning them from further broadcast in their present format.
Sainsbury’s said it is “disappointed” with the ruling, but will modify the ad wordings to reflect the decision.
The ASA said: “The ad must not be broadcast again in its current form. We told Sainsbury’s not to state or imply consumers did not need to shop around to fully benefit from deals at Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Asda if that was not the case.”
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