An IVF centre that opened in 2021 but advertised itself as operating in Ireland for 40 years was among several businesses to recently fall foul of Ireland’s advertising watchdog.
First IVF attracted complaints to the Advertising Standards Authority over claims about “outstanding success rates” with “over 20,000 babies born and counting”. A video on its social media page described the clinic’s journey in offering IVF in Ireland “since 1986”.
IVF (in vitro fertilisation) is a type of treatment to help people have a baby.
One complainant said the claim that First IVF was responsible for “20,000 babies and counting” was highly improbable given it had only been operational since 2021. Another objected to the advertised claim that First IVF had been “here for nearly 40 years”.
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The advertiser said the statement “20,000 babies and counting” was never intended to suggest that First IVF alone was responsible for that number.
Rather, it said, it referred to the cumulative history of IVF in Clane, Co Kildare, since 1986, when its founder introduced IVF to Ireland and performed the treatment that resulted in the birth of the first Irish IVF child.
The council upheld the complaints and said it “considered that the impression created by the advertising was that the number of babies born was attributable to the advertisers and ... this was not the case”.
BetLabel, the online gambling platform, attracted multiple complaints regarding concerns over a series of animated videos on YouTube and an ad with a tag line: “Luck of the Irish? Nah, it’s all skill here.”
Some complainants believed the ads could be of particular interest to children, while others felt the “luck of the Irish” catchline implied gambling could be influenced by skill when it is based on chance.
No response was received from the advertiser and all complaints were upheld.
Another complaint made in connection with an in-store Domino’s promotion offering free pizzas to those who scanned a QR code was also upheld on the basis it was only available to students, with that “eligibility criteria omitted from the advertisement”.
“Protecting consumers from advertising that is misleading, harmful, or offensive lies at the heart of the ASA’s work,” said its chief executive Orla Twomey. “We are committed to strengthening accountability and compliance with the code across the Irish advertising industry.”
