Tesco faces ad ban for misleading £5 promo

Tesco is facing possible censure for its £5 loyalty voucher promotion, introduced earlier this month in a bid to reverse a decline in sales.

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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.

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