'Misleading' Peugeot 207 advert banned by ASA
A TV campaign for Peugeot has been banned by the ASA after a complaint was received claiming that it was misleading.
The campaign, which aired in September, pictured a jigsaw puzzle of a car, with the voiceover stating that; "Choosing a new car can be a puzzle. That's why Peugeot have introduced a revolutionary 3 year package that includes 3 years' roadside assistance, 3 years' road tax, 3 years' insurance for those little unexpected moments, and 3 years' warranty and servicing (there you go good as new) all included for £179 per month. All you have to do is add the last piece - Just Add Fuel."
The final piece of the jigsaw read ‘Just add fuel’ while text on the screen state £179 per month” although the complaint said that the advert did not make clear that a substantial initial payment was also needed.
Peugeot claimed that it did not consider the ad to be misleading because text in the advert also said that ‘You will not own this car’ and that this was a lease contract for a Peugeot 207.
The company also provided three copies of adverts by other car manufacturers to demonstrate that similar offers had been made which did not state an initial rental payment would be substantial due to the constraints that TV adverts and said that information had been made to the consumer by running a press ad prior to and in conjunction with the TV advert, containing information on the initial payment in small print.
The complaint was upheld however, with the ASA saying that it did not feel the press advert was relevant to viewers and that the advert would be seen in isolation, and that while Peugeot believed that consumers would expect to pay an initial rental payment because it was standard practice, it was considered that the substantial initial rental payment was a significant condition of the offer that should have been prominently stated, and because it was not, it misleading and should not be broadcast again in its current form.