Complaints about advertisements for Vodafone, Domino’s Pizza and the First IVF fertility clinic have been upheld by the Advertising Standards Authority in its latest bulletin.
Two intra-industry complaints against First IVF were upheld on the grounds that they were misleading.
The first related to a claim on the company’s website that it had “outstanding success rates” and “over 20,000 babies born and counting”, as well as a social media advert claiming the firm had been operational in Ireland since 1986.
The complainant said the claims were highly improbable given that the company had only been operational since 2021.
The second related to a sponsored social media advert promoting a free guide comparing IVF costs in Ireland across several clinics.
The complainant objected to the advert on the grounds that one anonymised clinic in the guide could be easily identified due to its unique combination of prices and services.
They also said the clinic’s prices were inflated to potentially mislead patients, and that the other clinics were marked with an ‘X’ for transparency, while First IVF was given a ‘tick’ for being transparent and affordable.
They had formally notified First IVF of these inaccuracies twice, but the chart remained uncorrected, meaning patients could make sensitive and costly treatment decisions based on incorrect information, the ASA said.
Both complaints were upheld and First IVF was required to withdraw the adverts in their current form.
Internet service provider Imagine Communications objected to a billboard for Vodafone advertising broadband “from €25 a month”.
The advertisement had a footnote that gave the actual price as €40 per month after a €15 discount for the first six months.
Imagine considered the design of the advert to be misleading as consumers on the move would only see the ‘€25’ in large font and not the ‘from’ in small text, let alone the footnote.
The ASA upheld the complaint and ruled that the advert should not appear again in its current form.
A customer complaint against Domino’s franchisee Revington Foods Ltd was also upheld.
The complainant said an in-store poster for a two-topping personal pizza did not make clear that the offer was only available to students.
Consumers were invited to scan a QR code to download a ‘wallet pass’ to avail of the offer, but they had to use their phone number.
A friend of the complainant alerted them to the student-only part of the offer days later. The advertisement was withdraw and no further action was required by the ASA.
Cases were also upheld against Murray Motorsport for displaying prices without including VAT as well as companies including BetLabel, Rathwood and Tunstall Emergency Response.
However, complaints against Brittany Ferries and Boylesports were not upheld.
“Protecting consumers from advertising that is misleading, harmful, or offensive lies at the heart of the ASA’s work. We are committed to strengthening accountability and compliance with the Code across the Irish advertising industry,”said Orla Twomey, CEO of the ASA.
“Beyond addressing non-compliant advertising, we actively support both brands and consumers in understanding advertising standards, helping to build and maintain trust in advertising for all.”
Photo: Miriam Hughes and Orla Twomey (right) of the ASA. (Pic: File)
