George Clarke Scottish Power ad banned for making TV viewers think they were watching a show
An advert for Scottish Power featuring North East-born architect and TV host George Clarke has been banned after misleading viewers into thinking they were tuned into a programme.
The Channel 4 advert from July displayed the phrase "George Clarke’s amazing green spaces" before Clarke remarked: "I’ve seen some amazing spaces all around the UK. From great tree houses, to log cabins, and house boats. Oh, and don’t forget about the hobbit house in Gwent, that was truly amazing."
As diverse coloured houses appeared on screen, he added: "From yellow houses, blue houses, pink houses, and ... greener houses, like this one. Of course, it’s not about the colour, it’s all about the green solutions provided by Scottish Power. So why not make your amazing space even more amazing by turning it a little greener?" For the first dozen seconds, viewers saw "#ad" in the upper right corner of the screen.
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The complaint of three viewers centered around the ad's failure to clearly differentiate itself from the George Clarke’s Amazing Spaces TV show. In defending their position, Scottish Power argued the advertisement was unmistakably identifiable as such throughout its duration, pointing out additional cues besides the "#ad"—including explicit mentions of Scottish Power in Clarke's script, and visual references like the Scottish Power logo adorned on someone's jacket and on the end frame.
Indeed, a visual signal indicating the promotional nature was present in 43 of the 60-second advert.
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has pulled an advert aired during the commercial breaks of George Clarke’s Amazing Spaces TV show, citing its resemblance to the programme's style. The ad mimicked the font, text style, and greenery-laden background seen in Clarke's show, leading the watchdog to rule that the "#ad" displayed in the top right corner for the first 12 seconds did not sufficiently differentiate it from the actual show content.
The ASA stated: "As such, we considered viewers were likely to believe, at least initially, that they were watching a programme."
They added: "Given the similarity between the beginning of the ad and the television programme, we considered the audience were likely to interpret the ad as programme content."
Furthermore, the authority expressed concern that viewers would not quickly recognise the message as an advertisement distinct from editorial content, potentially mistaking it for part of the programme.
In response, a Scottish Power spokeswoman defended their approach, stating that their "advertising partnership with George Clarke and C4’s Amazing Spaces brought together everything we strive to do for customers".