BT has compared its “instant” internet service to coffee and hair removal cream in a bid to avoid censure from the advertising watchdog.
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) received four complaints about ads for BT’s Infinity service, which claimed customers could: “Upload and share high quality photos and videos instantly; Download your favourite music instantly; Enjoy multiple websites and online content instantly; Stream HD movies and TV shows instantly.”
They pointed out that the terms ‘instant’ and ‘instantly’ were used in a number of industries
The complainants found the word “instantly” misleading, as downloads would still take time even over superfast fibre.
“BT believed consumers would know that the word ‘instant’ did not mean the complete absence of any delay or zero seconds,” the ASA noted, adding the ad promised the fibre service would allow songs and photos to download, and video streaming to start, within seconds.
“[BT] pointed out that the terms ‘instant’ and ‘instantly’ were used in a number of industries to describe products that were not delivered instantly, such as instant coffee and instant hair removal cream,” the ASA added.
While the watchdog made no comment on broadband’s similarity to Nescafe, it did tell BT to stop running the ad because the download times advertised weren’t proven by the company.
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