Ad description
A sponsored search result on Google stated "Locksmiths in Salisbury. mylocksmithsalisbury.co.uk 20 Park Street, Salisbury, Wiltshire".
Issue
An internet user challenged whether the claim "20 Park Street, Salisbury, Wiltshire" was misleading, because she understood that Salisbury Locksmith did not have premises in Salisbury.
Response
Salisbury Locksmiths said the address in the ad was not an office or business address; they believed the claim had already been removed from the ad. They subsequently removed the address.
Assessment
Upheld
The ASA noted Salisbury Locksmiths had previously given an assurance that they would no longer use an address in their advertising if it was not the location of their trading premises. The sponsored search ad appeared to breach that assurance.
We understood that although Salisbury Locksmiths undertook work in the area, their trading premises were not based at the address in the ad or in Salisbury. We considered that, because it was not an authentic trading address, the ad was likely to mislead consumers into thinking that they were dealing with a local trader. We therefore concluded that, because it misleadingly implied that Salisbury Locksmiths traded from the address in Salisbury, the ad was misleading.
The sponsored search result 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 sponsored search result must not appear again in its current form. We told Salisbury Locksmiths not to include an address in their advertising unless it was their trading address.
