Watchdog Disputes British Energy Advertising Claims
Posted on: February 8th, 2008 by Emma YoungThe Advertising Standards Agency banned a TV and press ad campaign for British Gas for making false green claims about an energy tariff.
The TV ad, by ad agency Clemmow Hornby Inge, was for the company’s Zero Carbon gas and electricity energy tariff.
In the ad a voiceover claimed that “Our new dual fuel package is our greenest. With zero carbon.”
The Advertising Standards Authority received 14 complaints about the “zero carbon” claim because consumers believed that it implied the energy was carbon free and did not produce carbon dioxide.
British Gas said that the tariff was held in place by 100% renewable electricity, and that the net carbon emission impact was zero for each customer.
The company added that small print at the foot of the screen said “Relates to offsetting schemes.” The company maintained that this made it clear that there were carbon emissions.
However, the ASA said that the claim “with zero carbon” and the images in the ad would “likely be interpreted by viewers to mean that the energy was carbon free or produced no carbon emissions”.
The ad regulator ruled that the TV commercial was misleading and could not be shown again in the same form.
www.asa.org.uk
