The Advertising Standards Authority has upheld a complaint against the spoof ad campaign, which featured a picture of a dog with the words, "This is Lucky. He disappeared last Tuesday". It has asked the group to avoid repeating the approach in future advertising.
Fifteen complaints were received nationwide from people concerned that the public would not realise the ads, created by Ogilvy & Mather, were a hoax and that it would undermine genuine attempts to find lost pets.
This was despite the ad featuring a phone number and website address, Where'sLucky.com, which contained information on the Battersea Dogs Home.
Royal & Sun Alliance argued that the scale of the campaign, which ran in national newspapers and on posters, made it obvious that the appeal was not genuine. However, it has said that all further advertising would include company details and clear company branding.