Advertisment
The advertisement depicted the following:
An alarm clock is seen as ringing and falling over, the only sound heard is the light being switched on.
A person is seen drilling a wall, the only sound heard is him whistling.
A dog is seen barking, the only sound heard is bird singing.
A hand is seen dragging the nails down a chalk board, the only sound is heard is the outside traffic as heard from inside a room.
An electric saw is seen cutting wood, the only sound heard is the sound of pigeons and birds.
A woman is seen in the shower. The only sound heard is the sound of water splashing.
MVO: “Imagine if everything was as silent as a Triton shower. The Triton range of silent showers. Enjoy the silence.”
Complaint
The complainant considered the usage of the word silent to be misleading. He said that while the advertised showers were quieter than the older showers, they were not silent as they still made noise.
Response
The advertisers said that the Triton television advertisement was airing on Irish and UK stations having been 2019 broadcast approved by the RTE Adclearance committee and UK Clearcast, respectively. They said that the process of broadcast approval was extremely rigorous. They said that substantiation for the Triton silent claim was submitted and accepted with approval to air by broadcast clearances in both territories. They provided correspondence between Triton and Clearcast, where the advertisers confirmed their range of silent running showers were described as silent as the pump noise decibel levels were 42.5 LWA dB re 1pW, which was the equivalent to a soft whisper.
They said that the range of Triton showers had received the recognised Q mark (Quiet Mark) and that the Triton Shower decibel levels were extremely low when compared to other shower brands. They provided a sound comparison chart between Triton and other shower manufacturers. Also provided were the packaging samples of the product with the product name with ‘Silent running’ references.
In relation to the television advertisement, they said that the voiceover stated ‘Imagine if everything was as silent as a Triton Silent shower’ and that ‘as silent’ referred to the level of silence.
Conclusion
Complaint Upheld.
The Complaints Committee considered the detail of the complaint and the advertisers’ response. They noted that the advertisement had been approved for broadcast.
The Committee noted that the product had received the Q Mark, having a decibel level lower than comparable products from other manufacturers. They noted the product was described as ‘silent’ due to the pump noise levels being equivalent to a soft whisper.
The Committee considered, however, that the use of the word ‘silent’ to describe a product where there was a level of noise, even at a low level, was likely to mislead. In the circumstances, the Committee considered the advertisement to be in breach of sections 4.1, 4.4, 4.9 and 4.10 of the Code.
ACTION REQUIRED:
The advertisement must not appear in the current form.
