| Bulletin | 09/6 |
| Batch No. | 189 |
| Ref | 12313 |
| Product | Food & Beverages |
| Advertiser | Tesco Ireland |
| Agency | |
| Medium | Radio |
| Complaint Advertisement: The voiceover stated: “With over 12,500 long-term price cuts across our stores, Tesco are bringing border prices to your doorstep. That means you can save up to a third on your weekly shopping! Of course you’ll find all your favourites, fresh food you will love and fantastic offers – this week we have amazing fruity offers like half price strawberries, apples, peaches and more. Or, if you prefer the grape, this week’s wine wonder Marques de Leon for just €4! See in-store for details. Enjoy alcohol responsibly. Tesco every little helps.” Complaint: One complainant considered the use of the line “you’ll find all your favourites” to be misleading and an unsustainable claim. He queried how the advertisers could possibly know what each customer’s ‘favourite’ might be. Furthermore he said that in his case a lot of his favourite items were no longer available to purchase in Tesco outlets. He said that a generalisation of this magnitude was inappropriate to use. Similarly another complainant said that a lot of his old ‘favourites’ had disappeared off the shelves in his local Tesco store. In particular he noticed that some of Tesco’s own cheaper brands had been removed along with other items which he had been able to purchase in the past. |
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| 2006 Code | |
| 2002 Code |
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| Response The advertisers said that in order to put this matter into both context and perspective it must be noted that on average Tesco have in excess of 2 million transactions per week in their stores selling a range of over 40,000 products. They keep track of the sales in order that they are able to provide products that their customers want. They hold a lot of information on what and when their customers buy the different products available and as a consequence are able to analyse this data and produce lists of products that customers buy regularly and frequently. The term ‘favourite’ they said is variously defined but generally it means ‘most liked’ or ‘appealing to the general public’ or ‘preferred above all’ and therefore in that context Tesco are able to analyse their sales to identify which products are most liked and/or appeal to the general public. Hence their statement, when they are promoting a range of products, will always let people know that the products they buy the most are still available. Therefore, whilst they continue to monitor sales of their products and this is an essential part of their business, Tesco’s contention is that to use this statement‘you’ll find all your favourites’ is a sustainable term. Tesco also said that whilst understanding that a single customer may find that individual products that he/she may prefer will not always be available, as they cater for the requirements of the majority of their customers, but by any definition when selling products on this scale, their customers’ favourites will always be available. |
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| Conclusion Complaint Upheld. The Complaints Committee considered the detail of the complaints and the advertisers’ response. They considered the inclusion of ‘all’ in the statement “You’ll still be able to find all your favourites” overstated the situation and upheld the complaints on this basis. Action Required: The advertisement must not be repeated in its current format. The Committee reminded advertisers to exercise caution in using absolute terms such as ‘all’. |
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