ASA Adjudication on News International Ltd

Ad

A Sunday Times Reader Offer, for reader evenings to the Tutankhamun exhibition at the O2 centre, stated "Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs will see more than 130 objects from the tomb of the famous boy king and his ancestors on display at the new exhibition space at the O2, in southeast London ...". On the right-hand side of the ad was a photo that resembled the well-known gold funerary mask. Small-print at the bottom of the ad stated "Picture: Canopic coffinette of Tutankhamun".

Issue

A reader, who believed the famous funerary mask of Tutankhamun was not included in the exhibition, complained that the ad did not make clear that the funerary mask would not be on display as part of the exhibition.

CAP Code (Edition 11)

Response

News International said they had received no complaints about the reader offer in The Sunday Times and they believed the ad did not mislead.  They explained that the image of the canopic coffinette of Tutankhamun was part of the exhibition and had been used worldwide to promote it.  They believed the fact that the death mask did not form part of the exhibition had been well publicised, particularly when the exhibition was announced in March 2007.  Although they accepted that the funerary mask was similar in appearance to the coffinette, they pointed out that the coffinette displayed Tutankhamun's shoulders enclosed in a cloak and his hands held a symbolic crook and flail, whereas the funerary mask did not.  Because of that, they believed the ad would not mislead readers into believing the funerary mask would be part of the exhibition and readers would understand that it promoted an item that would be on display.  

Ansco Exhibition (Ansco) said they were disappointed to receive the complaint.  They said the coffinette was the lead image in their marketing campaign and pointed out that all their marketing material featuring the image had included a statement that it was a canopic coffinette to avoid confusion.  They did not believe the image was misleading, but they supplied a copy of their new ad that explained what the image was and that it was not the funerary mask in larger text directly underneath the image.

Assessment

Not upheld

The ASA noted the coffinette showed a figure holding a symbolic crook and flail and the funerary mask did not.  We also noted the photograph of the detail of the coffinette showed the face, shoulders and crossed arms of the Tutankhamun figurine, whereas images of the funerary mask made clear that it had covered the head, shoulders and chest of Tutankhamun.  We considered that most readers would be unlikely to infer from the ad that the photograph used was of the funerary mask or that the funerary mask would be on show at the exhibition.  We acknowledged that the small-print stated "Picture: Canopic coffinette of Tutankhamun". Because the ad used an image of an object that was part of the exhibition, we concluded that it was unlikely to mislead.  

We investigated the ad under CAP Code clause 7.1 (Truthfulness), but did not find it in breach.

Action

No further action necessary.

Adjudication of the ASA Council (Non-broadcast)