The TV spot, which aired in September last year, said: "In today’s Daily Mail, save £10 off your shopping at Tesco. Get your money off coupons only in today’s Daily Mail". On-screen text said: "Terms, conditions and minimum spend applies".
In the final scene, the M&C Saatchi-created ad showed an image of two £5 Tesco vouchers alongside a copy of the Daily Mail.
A viewer argued the ad could be misleading as it implied viewers would receive two £5 vouchers that could be used against their total shopping bill, when in fact the vouchers were for lesser sums and had to be used in specific departments.
Associated Newspapers, publisher of the Daily Mail, argued the ad clearly stated that "terms, conditions and minimum spend" applied to the offer.
Furthermore, it argued that it was immaterial whether viewers received two £5 vouchers or seven vouchers of smaller denominations, as they would still receive the same benefit of £10 off their shopping at Tesco.
Tesco, meanwhile, said it had no control over the content of the ad and was not shown it prior to the broadcast.
Clearcast, the body that vets TV ads before they air, said it believed the ad included all of the material information about the offer, such as the minimum-spend requirement, and was not misleading.
In deciding the fate of the ad, the ASA noted that the seven vouchers supplied by Associated Newspapers were offered in denominations of £1 and £2, and were redeemable against specific ranges of items such as cereals, meats, health and beauty products.
It concluded that the image of two £5 vouchers in the ad implied that viewers would receive vouchers in that larger denomination, which was not the case.
It added that the scenario of a family doing their weekly shop in the ad reinforced the implication in the ad that the vouchers could be redeemed against a consumer’s total shopping bill.
It ruled that, for these reasons, the ad should be banned.
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