Homewares retailer JML has found itself on the wrong side of the ad watchdog for the second time in a week, this time over misleading claims made about its heated drying pod, dubbed the DriBuddi.
The company, which markets a range of household products predominantly through direct response TV ads, was hauled up last week over an ad for its Hurricane Spin Scrubber, after its depiction of only women using the cleaning tool was deemed to perpetuate “harmful” gender stereotypes.
This week’s issue was sparked by an ad for the JML DriBuddi, seen in November 2023, that featured a testimonial from a customer who stated: “Because I live in a small flat, I used to hang my clothes on the radiator or clotheshorse. I used to find condensation and the smell of damp clothes all the time. Now I put things in the DriBuddi, it’s just gone.”
The ad showed various clothes and a towel sitting on a radiator with condensation appearing on the window above, followed by a close-up image of water droplets on a window.
However, one viewer contacted the Advertising Standards Authority to challenge whether the testimonial misleadingly implied that using the product prevented condensation from forming.
In its defence, JML said that the relevant claim formed part of a testimonial and was therefore the personal opinion of the user. It believed viewers would interpret the claim within that context and understand that it was intended to compare the user experience of the DriBuddi with that of drying clothes on a radiator inside.
The retailer also provided the results of two in-house tests, which it claimed proved condensation had not formed on the window next to where the DriBuddi stood. It insisted therefore that the testimonial was accurate and not misleading. It explained that excess moisture in the air led to condensation which could form on walls, windows and other surfaces, but because the DriBuddi was an enclosed space, moisture was kept inside the fabric cover.
Meanwhile, Clearcast said that it had been clearing ads for the JML DriBuddi for over 10 years and believed the way the product worked was widely understood by audiences.
Even so, the ASA was not convinced.
Having studied the ad, the Clearcast evidence, the test results and the user manual, the ASA stated: “Given that the studies provided were insufficient to prove the claim that the DriBuddi prevented condensation, and the User Guide indicated that the prevention of condensation was due to external factors, we concluded that the claim exaggerated the capabilities of the DriBuddi and had not been substantiated.”
Banning the ad from running again in its current form, the ASA went on to warn JML about future advertising activity. The firm will no doubt be hoping that next week is a bit quieter.
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