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DFS adverts banned

Wed Dec 03 11:56AM

Three DFS television adverts have been banned - not because they are annoying but because the sofas featured in the adverts were made to look bigger than they actually are.

The ads, which featured people miming to the Nickelback song ‘Rockstar', were declared misleading by the Advertising Standards Authority because the footage of actors singing was superimposed onto shots of sofas, making the furniture seem bigger than it was.

The watchdog, which received 21 complaints, said: "We considered that the production technique used in the ad meant that some of the sofas did appear large in relation to the actors. Because DFS had not been able to demonstrate that the sofas featured in the ad were accurate reflections of the actual sofas, we concluded that the ad was misleading."

DFS argued that customers visited their stores to examine items such as sofas before they bought them, and that any exaggeration in size would have caused widespread disappointment and large numbers of complaints to Trading Standards, which had not been the case.

The three advertising codes breached by the DFS campaign were that adverts must not mislead the public, that they must not imply qualities beyond those normally provided, and that they must not use visual techniques or special effects to mislead.

Comments61 - 70 of 529

what about when McDonalds show a tiny soft drink and fries next to the burger making it look like the burger is gonna be bigger than the drink and fries, isn't that the same thing

From danithorne2000 on Wed Dec 03 12:43PM
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who gives a monkeys on adverts at least we aint paying for them, unlike the continued @#$% the bbc make us suffer with, now that needs sorting we pay for continued @#$%

From autotorquedevelopments on Wed Dec 03 12:43PM
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Ironically, DFS sofas are actually ridiculously huge and we had to take ours apart to get them through the door. In their stores they have large showrooms to give an impression of vast space (deception) and probably to hide the fact that they are of non-standard size. Moreover, the workmanship is really shoddy and we saw this when we took them apart to get them through the doors. One of ours had a hard lump on the front of the arm and we discovered it when our son actually hurt his head on that when he tumbled in play and it felt like a screw not properly screwed into the fibreboard. The cushions of the sofas were ridiculously high so my feet dangled when sat down, which is not a comfort feeling at all not being able to put your feet on the ground. Now the seat cushions have sagged too much on one side so we have a lop-soded sofa. The material picked up dirt stains that won't clean off and the material is worn in places. The sofas are only 7 years old or so and look like 50 years old. Really rubbish quality and they were really expensive. Don't fall for the gimmicks such as the 3/4 years interest free as the sofas are over-priced but more importantly the quality is diabolical.

From alsultan12345 on Wed Dec 03 12:43PM
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It seems to be that at peak viewing times, furniture shops do the most advertising.And its always massive discounts.With all this money off and the cost of advertising at peek times IT JUST PROVES that the furniture is well over priced even when at half price.
@#$% ad, @#$% acting, a good song ruined through association with the former.

From simonsout on Wed Dec 03 12:44PM
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I'm glad it's banned, not just because of the @#$% quality sofas or the ruining of 'Rockstar', but the fact that they seem co,pletely unable to use the word "pounds" really gets my goat!
"This @#$% leather sofa is six nine nine". No you idiots, it's six hundred and ninety nine pounds - speak bloody English, dammit.

From novabellamy on Wed Dec 03 12:45PM
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If they ban DFS ad's they should ban foxtons' ads. They always use a super wide angle lens to make some S#$^@ tiny shoe box flat look like effing buckingham palace.

From ojot5000 on Wed Dec 03 12:45PM
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how sad are some people to actually give a @#$% about this. do they not have other things to worry about in there pathetic lives! haha

From ac_player1723 on Wed Dec 03 12:45PM
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What a load of nonsense about nothing. Hasn't the ASA got anything better to do. I thought the ad was great.

From fawziacw on Wed Dec 03 12:45PM
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how sad are some people to actually give a @#$% about this. do they not have other things to worry about in there pathetic lives! haha

From ac_player1723 on Wed Dec 03 12:45PM
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Ironically, DFS sofas are actually ridiculously huge and we had to take ours apart to get them through the door. In their stores they have large showrooms to give an impression of vast space (deception) and probably to hide the fact that they are of non-standard size. Moreover, the workmanship is really shoddy and we saw this when we took them apart to get them through the doors. One of ours had a hard lump on the front of the arm and we discovered it when our son actually hurt his head on that when he tumbled in play and it felt like a screw not properly screwed into the fibreboard. The cushions of the sofas were ridiculously high so my feet dangled when sat down, which is not a comfort feeling at all not being able to put your feet on the ground. Now the seat cushions have sagged too much on one side so we have a lop-soded sofa. The material picked up dirt stains that won't clean off and the material is worn in places. The sofas are only 7 years old or so and look like 50 years old. Really rubbish quality and they were really expensive. Don't fall for the gimmicks such as the 3/4 years interest free as the sofas are over-priced but more importantly the quality is diabolical.

From alsultan12345 on Wed Dec 03 12:45PM
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