Furniture company ad found misleading by ASA

A furniture company used a countdown timer on its website and a claim that “we won’t be beaten on price” was found to be misleading by the ASA following a complaint by a competitor.

The ad, alongside a countdown timer, referred to two promotions which were in the same sentence and font size despite the company stating the latter ad was not subject to the countdown timer to midnight, however the ASA said this was likely to pressure consumers into making a quick purchase without proper consideration.

The ASA also held that for comparisons with competitors not to be misleading, consumers should be able to identify at least one competitor or competing product, and further information supporting the comparison claim must be readily available to consumers.

This is a timely reminder for businesses to ensure their adverts, on all types of media, comply with the CAP Codes and the ASA’s guidance. Any comparison claims should be supported by robust, accurate and up to date data which is easily available.