Andrex ads banned

An Andrex ad has been banned after a rival toilet paper maker complained it was misleading.

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In a complaint to the Advertising Standards Authority, SCA Hygiene Products UK, maker of Cushelle and Velvet toilet paper, objected Andrex’s claims that its product was “unbeatably long”.

The complaint referred to TV, press and poster ads depicting a variety of dogs of different sizes. The ads claimed the product is “unbeatably long” and included the strapline “spend your pennies wisely”.

The ASA noted that three competitor products were longer than an Andrex roll by over 10cm.

In addition, it said the ad’s encouragement to “spend pennies wisely” could imply the product was of better value due to its length, which would be misleading for viewers.

The ASA ruled that the ads must not appear again in their current form.

In response to the ruling, Kimberly-Clark said its “unbeatably long” claim was based on the number of sheets, rather than the length of the roll. It said an Andrex roll has 241 sheets, more or equal to any other toilet tissue product in the market.

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