Ad description
A circular distributed by Big Brother Home Security had the headline "1 IN 4 HOMES & BUSINESSES ARE BURGLED EVERY YEAR*". Small print stated "*Home Office British Crime Survey 2009/2010".
Issue
A complainant challenged wither the claim was misleading and could be substantiated.
Response
Big Brother Home Security did not respond to the ASA's enquiries.
Assessment
Upheld
The ASA was concerned by Big Brother Home Security's lack of response and apparent disregard for the Code, which was a breach of CAP Code (Edition 12) rule 1.7 (Unreasonable delay).
We noted that the British Crime Survey covered domestic burglary only and this was reported as 7%. The survey also included police recorded crime for burglary at 12% but this figure related to both domestic and commercial property. Because the advertiser had not provided the basis for their "1 in 4" claim, we concluded the ad was likely to mislead.
The ad breached CAP Code (Edition 12) rules 3.1 3.1 Marketing communications must not materially mislead or be likely to do so. (Misleading advertising) and 3.7 3.7 Before distributing or submitting a marketing communication for publication, marketers must hold documentary evidence to prove claims that consumers are likely to regard as objective and that are capable of objective substantiation. The ASA may regard claims as misleading in the absence of adequate substantiation. (Substantiation).
Action
The ad must not appear in its current form. We told Big Brother Home Security to ensure their claims were accurate and could be substantiated.
