|
The Advertising
Standards Authority received an objection to a direct mailing
that claimed "IMPORTANT DOCUMENTS ENCLOSED" on the envelope.
Inside the envelope was a letter offering the recipient a new credit
card. The complainant, who did not think the letter was an important
document, objected that the claim on the envelope was misleading.
The complaint was upheld. The advertisers did not think the envelope
was misleading; they said the envelope was one part of the whole
mailing and it referred recipients to the enclosures. They believed
the mailing made clear that Capital One were the advertisers and
that they were advertising a credit card. They pointed out that
Capital One were identified as the advertisers on the front of the
envelope and that they had stated "Capital One Bank (Europe)
plc, Card Services" on the envelope seal, which would be seen
by recipients when they opened the mailing. They argued that the
mailing included important documents because it contained the formal
consumer credit agreement documents as well as alerting customers
to the wide choice of credit cards available and the value of the
potential savings. The Authority noted the advertisers had identified
themselves on the front and back of the envelope. It nevertheless
considered that "Important Documents Enclosed" was an
ambiguous claim that could mislead recipients by exaggerating the
importance of the contents of the mailing. The Authority concluded
that the claim on the envelope was misleading and told the advertisers
to delete it.
Good decision.
|
