An ad for Bank of Ireland which showed a woman angrily burning a piggy bank in a barrel and a promise by Virgin Media to deliver next day broadband were among nine ads which fell foul of the Advertising Standards Authority of Ireland (ASAI) over recent months.
The television ad for the bank featured a woman throwing a hippo shaped money jar into a burning barrel in her back garden.
It prompted complaints over the depiction of people burning documents in barrels with complainants saying they considered that the ad “normalised this illegal and environmentally damaging practice of backyard burning”.
The complaint was upheld by the ASAI.
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Toyota also fell foul of the advertising watchdog for claims about its Hybrid Service on its webpage which said that “having completed a Hybrid Health Check, you are covered by one year or 15,000km Hybrid Battery Extended Care. In the event of an issue with your Hybrid battery during this time, we will replace it free of charge.”
A motorist’s hybrid battery failed nine months after the company completed a “hybrid health check” of their vehicle.
“They were informed the battery was damaged beyond repair and they would have to pay for a replacement as the age of their car (2007) did not guarantee the hybrid battery replacement. The complainant considered that this contradicted the advertising claim as they had not exceeded the 15,000km limit.”
A banner on the broadband page of the Virgin Media website advertised next day delivery if customers ordered before 6:00pm between Mondays and Thursdays with some exceptions for busy times of the year eg Christmas.
“The complainant ordered broadband before 6:00pm on Monday and expected to receive their product at the latest two days after ordering,” the ASAI said.
“The complainant considered the advertising misleading as they were contacted by Virgin Media over a week after placing their order to arrange delivery which was outside the advertised delivery time.”
The chief executive of the ASAI Orla Twomey said it “investigates all complaints thoroughly to ensure that they are legal, truthful, decent and honest for all Irish consumers.”
She also said it provides “a free and confidential copy advice service to the advertising industry to help them create responsible ads that adhere to the advertising code. If an advertiser, agency, or medium has any concerns about a marketing communications’ compliance with the ASAI’s Code, they can contact us and avail of the free and confidential copy advice service.”
