Morrisons has been banned from airing a television advert featuring celebrity Denise Van Outen following complaints from its rivals.
The decision was made by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) after it upheld complaints from retailers Asda, Waitrose and The Co-op that Morrisons’s claim to be the only ‘major’ supermarket to source and pack fruit and vegetables from British farms was misleading.
The watchdog ruled the claim, which is made in the supermarket’s latest TV commercial, was misleading because other supermarkets such as The Co-op handle some fruit and veg produce in the same way.
Morrisons said it had only intended to include itself, Asda, Sainsburys and Tesco in its definition of “major” supermarkets, but the ASA ruled it should have made this distinction clear in the advert.
Morrisons also implied in its ad that all fresh fruit and vegetables sold were sourced, selected and packed by the supermarket, but according to the ASA this only applied to 85 per cent of its produce.
In a statement, Morrisons said it is “considering whether to appeal” the ASA rulings made against the ad and the decision to ban the commercial until sufficient changes have been made to the current format.
Leave a Reply