Tesco faces ad ban for misleading £5 promo
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Tesco is facing possible censure for its £5 loyalty voucher promotion, introduced earlier this month in a bid to reverse a decline in sales.
The Advertising Standards Authority has received 11 complaints so far that the promotion is misleading and is assessing whether there are grounds to launch an investigation.
The supermarket ran the voucher promotion earlier this month following CEO Philip Clarke’s admission that it should not have pulled away from vouchers, as it reported disappointing sales figures in the last three months of the year.
The promotion offered a £5 voucher when you spend £40 and has attracted complaints that the in-store communications for the promotion do not make it clear that the £5 voucher can only be redeemed against a further £40 spend.
The promotion also elicited complaints on Marketing Week saying that “Tesco have got it wrong again”.
Comments also complain that the offer is misleading because customers have to spend £80 to claim the £5 off voucher and that the promotion promised a £5 voucher all week, but was only available for five days.
The promotion has also been criticised for devaluing the Clubcard loyalty scheme by rewarding non-cardholders and members alike.
A number of Tesco ads have been banned by the ASA in recent months, the latest in December over misleading claims about the freshness of lettuce made in advertising.
- Tesco returns to vouchers after sales drop
Wed, 18 Jan 2012 - Tesco to build global F&F brand
Tue, 17 Jan 2012 - Tesco marketing isn’t making any waves
Thu, 12 Jan 2012 - Sainsbury’s ‘best ever’ Christmas boosted by marketing
Wed, 11 Jan 2012 - Tesco value perception falls dramatically
Readers' comments (5)
Chris | Thu, 26 Jan 2012 1:17 pm
Wow, what a way to mess up. How anyone in Tescos hierarchy missed that error before it went public, is beyond me.
Wonder how long it's gonna take before the Tesco name is used in a positive story.
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Ross | Thu, 26 Jan 2012 3:50 pm
Really starting to wonder how long it's going to take before the supermarkets start offering customers something of real value.
The Cloak and Dagger promotions are wearing thin!
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Anonymous | Fri, 27 Jan 2012 9:39 am
Same thing that Asda did with their voucher for using the price comparison tool before Christmas. However, I was surprised not to see any comments like this - thoughts?
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Anon | Wed, 1 Feb 2012 12:04 pm
I got caught out by this! Feel a bit stupid as it was quite clear if you read all the copy but as there had been a similar offers that hadn't required you to return to redeem in the past I didn't read it fully.
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Anonymous | Thu, 2 Feb 2012 1:17 pm
We do an online shop with Tesco every week, and have subsequently benefitted on two occasions from this promotion.
I am bewildered that anyone found the promotion misleading. Tesco made the conditions of the voucher very clear indeed.
We, as a society, are moving ever further from taking personal responsibility for the choices we make. Our motivation to find someone else at fault for our own failures is quite reprehensible.
I hope, for all our sakes, that the ASA take a common sense view of this and recognise that customers have both rights and responsibilities.
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