Sky had an ad banned by the Advertising Standards Agency for
a misleading "best ever" claim, after a complaint from BT, according to Gurjit Degun of CAMPAIGN LIVE. The national press ad, which was seen July 14, offered customers what it called "our best ever broadband offer." The ad said, "£50 ($78) reward when you join Sky TV with any Sky TV bundles
from £21.50 ($33) a month ... add Sky Sports for £24.50 ($38) a month and get free
broadband ... Two years free Sky broadband ... unlimited." In its response to the adjudication, Sky said that "customers would
understand that the claim related to its broadband and not the TV or
Talk offers." However, the ASA said the claim "our best ever broadband" was
likely to be interpreted as a comparison with Sky’s previous broadband
offers. The watchdog noted that a previous ad from Sky offered what it called
its "best ever broadband offer" with a £100 ($157) reward when you joined Sky
TV online, compared to the £50 ($78) reward in the ad subject to the
complaint. As a result, the ASA said the claim "our best ever broadband offer"
in the ad had not been substantiated and "was likely to mislead." The ad
" must not appear again in its current form" (CAMPAIGN LIVE, 11/19).
