Homebase ad' banned following complaint from B&Q

Homebase, the homeware store, has had a TV ad banned by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) after its rival B&Q complained that the ad was misleading.

The ad, created by Leo Burnett, showed a man and a woman decorating the area around a billboard. The billboard showed rotating images of Homebase products, bearing the text: "Extra 15% off".

A voiceover for the ad said: "The Homebase summer sale is now on and there's an extra 15% off everything when you spend over £50. That's an extra 15 % off all our kitchens, all bathrooms and our great range of furniture too. That's an extra 15% off everything when you spend over £50. But hurry, offer ends this Sunday, at Homebase."

B&Q complained to the ASA, claiming that the ad was misleading because it implied that additional discounts had already been applied to the showcased products.

Homebase responded saying that the promotion was based around a "basket approach", meaning that if a customer spent more than £50, they would be entitled to a 15% discount of the purchase.

Homebase also admitted that each product featured in the ad was part of an existing promotion, but not all of the products in its kitchen, bathroom and furniture ranges were.

The ASA called the "15% off everything when you spend over £50" an absolute claim, and that the ad emphasised a discount on the furniture, kitchen and bathroom ranges, which was not necessarily true.

The ASA ruled the ad misleading and it must not appear again in its current form.

Source : Loulla-Mae Eleftheriou-Smith - Campaign