Dyson fan ad banned as ‘misleading’

A Dyson advert for a fan has been banned for giving the impression that the device is cordless, following a ruling by the advertising watchdog.

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) considered that the television advert for the Dyson Pure Hot and Cool Fan gave viewers a “misleading impression” as it only showed the cord in one scene.

Dyson argued that the product was “clearly shown” as having a cord and told The Daily Telegraph it would appeal. The ASA received a complaint about the advert after it aired in April, depicting the fan in four separate shots. Only in the last scene was it shown on a light-coloured floor with a thin grey line leading into it.

Dyson said this final shot showed the cable as “distinguishable from the floor” and that there was no “reasonable prospect of the average consumer being misled”.

However, the ASA said it felt viewers would have expected to see the fan had a cord in all the scenes.

The ruling said: “We concluded that, overall, the ad was likely to give consumers the misleading impression that the fan was cordless, and therefore that it breached the code.”

The authority ruled that the ad must not be broadcast again and warned Dyson not to imply that its fans were cordless if that was not the case.

A Dyson spokesman said: “Dyson always works to ensure that advertising is clear and accurate; we therefore regret that a complaint has been received about this advert.

“However, in this instance, we disagree with the ASA’S decision. We have begun a process of appeal against this ruling.”