The UK's Advertising Standards Authority has upheld a complaint about adverts for a SonyEricsson camera phone. The advertisement featured a mobile phone that showed a picture of a kitten on its screen. The text stated "SHARE YOUR FAVOURITE PET PHOTOS WITH FRIENDS". At the bottom of the advertisement were photographs of the phone taken from three different angles, with the text "THE BEAUTIFUL SONY ERICSSON T610 WITH QUICKSHARE".
The complainant, who bought the advertised phone, objected that the advertisement exaggerated the quality of the picture that the phone could achieve.
The advertisers argued that the advertisement intended to demonstrate, as well as the phone's camera function, its capacity to download content from the web and to send and receive pictures. They said it was possible that the picture of the kitten in the advertisement was taken from an image library, not taken or downloaded by the phone. The advertisers acknowledged that an actual image on the phone screen might appear to be slightly different from the screen image in the advertisement, because the picture of the kitten was reproduced on glossy paper stock for inclusion in the magazine.
The Authority noted the advertisement mentioned the word "PHOTOS" and considered that the advertisement was likely to be seen as highlighting the phone's use as a camera, and that some readers were likely to infer that the screen image was a picture that had been taken by the phone. It considered that the advertisers had not demonstrated that their phone could achieve, in downloaded images or in camera shots, the picture quality featured in the advertisement. The Authority told the advertisers to either ensure that the advertisement accurately represented the picture quality the camera phone could achieve, or state that the screen image was simulated."
Posted to the site on 29th April 2004
Posted to: www.cellular-news.com/story/11076.php