Ad description
A TV ad for Barclaycard's "Bespoke offers" service featured a woman scrolling through the service's website on a computer tablet. A voice-over stated, "Meet Louise. She uses bespoke offers to get great savings on breakfast at her local coffee shop for her and her kids ..." The ad showed the woman and her children at the coffee shop when she spilt her coffee over her coat. The voice-over continued, "Oh ... she also uses it on her mobile to get a bespoke deal at her favourite department store." A catwalk-style parade of coats then took place and she appeared to choose her favourite from the selection. A mobile handset was shown with the user scrolling through the offers. The voice-over said, "Whatever you're into and whenever you want it. With thousands of bespoke offers, it's easier to find the right offers for you."
Issue
A viewer challenged whether the ad misleadingly implied the service was available on a mobile device-only basis, whereas they understood vouchers for the offer had to be printed in advance.
Response
Barclays Bank plc (Barclaycard) said Bespoke Offers was a new product from Barclaycard consisting of an offer platform for consumers, similar to "daily deal" websites. It could be accessed via mobile, tablet and PC and they explained that the featured offers could be redeemed in different ways ‒ either with an online voucher code or with a printed voucher ‒ depending on the retailer's size of business, operating model and the type of offers the retailer wanted to promote. They said that during an average week, the majority of offers could be redeemed without printing a voucher.
Barclaycard said the TV ad showed how the offers could be accessed and it was representative only of a particular type of offer available. The ad contained no messages that Bespoke Offers operated exclusively with voucher codes or only with any other method of online redemption, rather it provided an example of what consumers could find and showed how consumers could use the service.
Clearcast did not agree the ad implied that Bespoke Offers was a mobile device-only service. They pointed out "Louise" was only shown browsing the offers, not redeeming them. They said the ad showed the Bespoke Offers App being used on a mobile device, but that no redemption facility was shown or implied. They believed it was an accurate demonstration of browsing through the various offers available.
Clearcast believed the voice-over "… whenever you want it" referred to the offers being available to browse at any time of day, not that instant redemption via a mobile device was available. In addition, they believed the voice-over "… she also uses it on her mobile to get a bespoke deal at her favourite department store" clarified that you could use a mobile device for browsing. While it was possible to redeem most of the offers using a mobile device, they did not believe the ad suggested "Louise" had redeemed her coffee shop or department store offer using her mobile phone.
Assessment
Not upheld
The ASA understood the complainant was concerned that all offers available through Bespoke Offers required consumers to print a voucher prior to redemption. We understood, however, from Barclaycard that was not the case; although there would be some offers that required consumers to print out a voucher, the majority of offers could be redeemed online.
The woman in the ad was shown browsing the offers via the Bespoke Offers app (the app) on her mobile phone and tablet, but we noted that she was not shown redeeming any offers during the ad. We understood the app allowed consumers to browse offers and did allow consumers, in particular circumstances, to redeem the offer without a printed voucher. While we noted the complainant's concern, we considered the ad gave an accurate portrayal of how consumers could browse the offers available. We considered it did not include anything which implied that "Louise" had redeemed either offer using her mobile or tablet. Consequently, we concluded the ad did not exaggerate the service and was not misleading.
We investigated under BCAP Code rules
3.1
3.1
Advertisements must not materially mislead or be likely to do so.
and
3.2
3.2
Advertisements must not mislead consumers by omitting material information. They must not mislead by hiding material information or presenting it in an unclear, unintelligible, ambiguous or untimely manner.
Material information is information that consumers need in context to make informed decisions about whether or how to buy a product or service. Whether the omission or presentation of material information is likely to mislead consumers depends on the context, the medium and, if the medium of the advertisement is constrained by time or space, the measures that the advertiser takes to make that information available to consumers by other means.
(Misleading advertising) and
3.12
3.12
Advertisements must not mislead by exaggerating the capability or performance of a product or service.
(Exaggeration) but did not find it in breach.
Action
No further action necessary.
