Advertisment
A bus shelter advertisement for ‘The View’ in Douglas Cork stated:
“The View Douglas.
Make the View your home in 2025. Coming Soon.
Apartment living in the heart of Douglas.
Register your interest at TheViewDouglas.ie”
The advertisers’ website included a page with details of the development.
“Welcome to The View, an exciting new development of 1 & 2 bedroom apartments nestled in the heart of Douglas, one of Cork’s most desirable and vibrant communities.”
Complaint
The complainant objected to the advertising on the following grounds:
Issue 1:
The complainant considered that the claim the development was in the ‘heart’ of Douglas was misleading given it was at least a half hour walk from Douglas Village Shopping Centre, a place that they considered was the ‘heart’ of Douglas.
Issue 2:
The complainant said that the development was located in Castletreasure and they objected to the fact that the advertisement had not included the address of the development.
Response
The advertisers responded to the issues raised:
Issue 1:
The advertisers said that Douglas was a suburban area that covered an area of 32.1km square and comprised of 19 townlands. They said that the likely audience of the advertising was adults who were interested in purchasing a home in the suburban area of Cork based on their knowledge of the area and/or the enquiries the home buyers conducted, and were directed to in the advertising by the advertisers to conduct, having regard to the importance of the location of a home to a potential purchaser.
They said that the bus shelter advertisement was only displayed in the Cork area and that thousands of people would have viewed it, and they had received no complaints. They said that the advertisement had included details of a website and identified the sales agent for people to contact to arrange a viewing.
They said that the online advertisement included detailed information on the new homes with images and a virtual tour and a detailed map and satellite image which allowed users to zoom in to examine the precise location within the suburban area of Douglas and its surrounding amenities.
They said the online advertisement had included the following statement: “Nestled in Douglas, Cork, The View offers the best of both worlds—a tranquil residential retreat with the hustle and bustle of Cork City just a short drive away. Located off the Carrigaline Road and 3.5km southeast of Cork city. Douglas is well-serviced by public transport and is within easy reach of several major roads. It is a short distance from Cork International Airport and Cork Train Station”.
The advertises said that it was not suggested in the advertisements that The View, Douglas was situated in the village of Douglas, nor adjacent to Douglas Village Shopping Centre, rather, it was clearly stated that The View, Douglas was situated in a tranquil location within the suburban area of Douglas, on the Carrigaline Road, and that the suburb of Douglas was well serviced by public transport.
They considered it was the complainant’s personal opinion that Douglas Village Shopping Centre was the ‘heart’ of Douglas, and they noted that there were two shopping centres in Douglas village, Douglas Court Shopping Centre and Douglas Village Shopping Centre. They said that the statement that The View, Douglas was situated “in the heart of Douglas” was not intended, and did not, convey that The View, Douglas was situated either within the village, nor at the precise mid-point of the suburban area of Douglas. Instead, they said that the statement conveyed that The View, Douglas was situated in an important and vibrant part of the suburban area of Douglas which had a growing population of families, and which was below the more elevated areas to the east and south of The View, Douglas. They said that The View, Douglas was situated close to the centre of the suburban area of Douglas and they enclosed a map identifying the exact location of the development and surrounding amenities. They considered it was located in the heart of Douglas because of the close proximity to all of the surrounding, important community facilities and public amenities: Douglas Rochestown Educate Together National School; Saint Columba’s Girl’s National School; Saint Columba’s Boys National School; Douglas Hall Athletic Football Club; Douglas RFC Grounds; Douglas Golf Course; and Tigers Childcare Douglas.
Issue 2:
The advertisers said that Castletreasure was one of the 19 townlands in the Douglas suburban area. They said that each home in The View, Douglas would have its own postal address, so it would not be possible to include a postal address in the Advertisements. For the avoidance of doubt, they confirmed that the postal address of each of the homes in The View, Douglas, would include the apartment number with an Eircode that was specific to and would reference “Douglas”. They also said that the unique registration number for each of the homes’ ESB meters would also reference “Douglas”. They further confirmed that the postal address of each home in The View, Douglas, would refer to “Douglas, Cork”.
Finally, they said that they invested significant resources in the development of all of the advertisements and marketing campaigns and obtained professional advice to ensure that all advertisements were appropriate and compliant with the Code.
Conclusion
Complaint Not Upheld
The Complaints Council considered the detail of the complaint and the advertisers’ response.
Issue 1:
The Council noted that the basis of the complaint was that the complainant considered that the ‘heart’ of Douglas was a shopping centre in Douglas. The Council noted the map identifying the location of the development within Douglas and its proximity to amenities and that the shopping centre identified by the complainant was located in the north of Douglas, whereas the development was located towards the centre. The Council also noted that the area of Douglas extended to approximately 32km and encompassed 19 townlands. In this case, while the Council noted that the complainant considered the ‘heart’ of Douglas was the village, given that the development was situated close to the centre of the Douglas area, they did not consider the advertising was in breach of the Code on the grounds raised.
Issue 2:
The Council noted that the advertising had stated that the development was located in Douglas, Cork which they considered was standard for developments that the area and county be listed. The Council also noted that the bus shelter advertisement had included a web address and that the website had included details of the location of the development, as well as a map which could be zoomed in to show the exact location. In the circumstances, the Council did not consider that the advertising was in breach of the Code on the grounds raised.
Action Required:
No further action required.
