Advertisment
The radio advertisement featured a distinctive Irish voiceover saying:
“Have you heard about these nutritionally balanced meals for older adults?
Meals cooked with the freshest ingredients and frozen for your convenience.
The company is Wiltshire Farm Foods and they’re based in Dublin!
Choose from 300 meal options with portion sizes to suit all appetites.”
A man’s voice then takes over advising consumers to either call or visit their website in order to receive a brochure. He states that delivery is nationwide.
Complaint
Two complaints were received in relation to the advertising.
One complainant considered that the line “based in Dublin” contained within the advertisement was incorrect and misleading as the company being promoted was based in the United Kingdom.
The second complainant believed that the use of a well-known Irish personality’s voice within the advertisement created the impression that the products being made were of Irish origin. In combination with the line “based in Dublin”, the complainant felt that the advertisement could potentially mislead a reasonable listener to infer that by purchasing the products they would be supporting a local Irish business, producing and selling Irish-made foods.
Response
The advertisers said that it was never their intention to mislead consumers and that the advertisement was no longer running.
They explained that Wiltshire Farm Foods Ireland is a franchise of Apetito UK and that it is owned and run by a local business based at Baldonnell Business Park in Dublin 22. They explained that their products are manufactured in the United Kingdom but are stored and distributed in Ireland by their business in Baldonnell.
The advertisers said they were sorry that two consumers felt the advertising was misleading and said that they would take greater care going forward to not mislead people.
Further Information:
The ASA Executive carried out a search on the Companies Registration Office (CRO) website and noted that the advertised company had been registered as a business in Ireland since 2009.
Conclusion
Complaints not upheld.
The Complaints Committee considered the detail of the complaint and the advertisers’ response. They noted that the advertisement was no longer running.
The Committee noted the further information from the Executive which detailed that the organisation had been registered as a business in Ireland with the CRO since 2009 and that it operated as a franchise owned and run by a local business in the Baldonnell area. The Committee considered that this was sufficient evidence to make the claim used within the advertising that the company was “based in Dublin”.
Furthermore, while they noted that no claims were made within the advertising regarding the origin of the promoted products, the Committee considered that care was required when choosing a voiceover as this could create an impression as to the origin of products. On balance, however, the Complaints Committee did not consider that the advertisement in this case was misleading on the basis suggested in the complaints
Action Required:
No further action required.
