Express Newspapers blasted for misleading front cover flashes

LONDON - Express Newspapers has been censured for carrying misleading promotions on the front page of the Daily Express on two occasions.

The first promotion offered readers return flights to the USA from £98. Inside the newspaper, it was explained that the flights would go on offer at 9am Saturday November 10 and must be booked and paid for by 10pm on Sunday November 11.



However, the complainants -- who said they had phoned all day for the two days of the promotion and been unable to book flights at the price stated on the cover -- challenged that the front page flash was misleading because flights were not available at the advertised price.



The second promotion offered readers the chance to win £1m in time for Christmas. However, the promotion, detailed on page three of the newspaper, was in fact a Royal Mail promotion for which readers would have to buy a book of 12 first class stamps in order to have a chance to win a £1m stamp prize.



Complainants argued that the ad was misleading because it indicated that the newspaper was running the promotion and not the Royal Mail.



The Advertising Standards Authority ruled against the Daily Express on both instances.



On the first case, it said that the front cover flash was misleading because it promoted the claim that the flights were available to every reader and ruled that the advertiser should not use the claim "for every reader" again unless enough products were available for every reader.



The second complaint was upheld on the grounds that the front cover flash implied that it was the newspaper that was offering the promotion. The watchdog said it welcomed the newspaper's assurances that it would not use editorial front-page flashes that could be construed as promotions again.



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