The Advertising Standards Authority has blown a fuse over a Homebase direct mail campaign, after ruling it made misleading claims over potential savings that consumers could achieve by purchasing LED light bulbs.
The mailshot claimed that recipient could “save up to £146” on their lighting energy bills. However it was only when the rather complex small print was studied that it was revealed the saving was based on “replacing 25 standard bulbs with LED bulbs” and using them “for an average of 2.7hrs per day for a year based on average usage of 1,000 hours per year (3 hours per day)”.
This triggered one recipient to challenge whether the claim that an “average house hold can save up to £146” was misleading and could be substantiated.
In response, Homebase said the figures were based on a survey carried out by a third party in 2010. It said it had confirmed the energy cost with the Energy Savings Trust, at the time the ad appeared, and that it had based the calculations on that figure.
But the ASA concluded that there was insufficient evidence to support the claim, as Homebase could provide no proof that the average household had 25 Ecohalogen light bulbs, or that the various bulb types and wattages were representative of those found in the average household.
Banning the mailing from appearing again in its current form, the regulator told Homebase to ensure it held adequate substantiation to support claims in future.
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Oh dear, lights go out on Homebase #directmail campaign after misleading stats http://t.co/aqrozz4gnr #directmarketing #advertising #data