ASA bans AA ads after RAC complaints

Date: Thursday, January 21, 2016 |

The Advertising Standards Authority has banned two AA adverts after the RAC challenged whether its rival had more specialist expertise than its competitors.

One of the AA’s television adverts showed scenes in which the breakdown provider was required by motorists to cut a new key and correct misfuelling. A voice-over stated: “With more patrols, more specialist skills and more expertise than anyone else, we are the Automobile Association. We are the AA.”

Meanwhile, an online advert included the claim “With more expertise than anyone else, we’ve seen it all more”.

The AA told the ASA that it had more members than its competitors, and that the adverts sought to highlight areas in which the AA understood its service was superior to its competitors.

The AA claimed it had more expertise and had more or better trained technicians, that handled more breakdowns per year and had the expertise to handle a greater range of specialist skills.

The ASA ruled the first advert breached BCAP Code rules 3.1 (Misleading advertising), 3.9 (Substantiation), 3.10 (Qualification) and 3.33 (Comparisons with identifiable competitors), and the second advert breached CAP Code (Edition 12) rules 3.1 (Misleading advertising), 3.7 (Substantiation), 3.9 (Qualification) and 3.33 (Comparisons with identifiable competitors).

The ASA told the AA to ensure it is in a position to substantiate claims in the future.

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