A popular, big budget commercial for Sky Broadband, starring Bruce Willis as a bathrobe-clad punter with internet problems, has been banned by the Advertising Standards Agency.
However, not due to the nonchalant way the ageing Die Hard stud manages to woo away a helpless office employee from her desk, you understand, but because of the claims made in the ad itself.
The ASA were upset about the voice over narration, which promises Sky Broadband for just £7.50 a month, while a small graphic at the foot of the screen explains how the deal is only for new customers.
Customers who want that deal must also be bundling Sky Talk (from £14.50 a month) and Sky TV (from £21 a month), which is again explained by small print. New customers can get the Broadband-only deal from £10 a month.
Yippee-ki-ASA
Following a complaint from one member of the public (there's always one, isn't there?), the regulator said Sky's claims weren't sufficiently clear and demanded it be removed from the air.
The ASA said the on-screen small price "would by its nature be significantly less prominent than a claim made in a voice-over, and was therefore not an appropriate method of communicating material information relating to the £7.50 price claim."
Sky's defended itself by claiming the average customer would be able to process the information sufficiently, but those extra costs probably should have been flagged up.
Regardless, it's a blow for Sky who probably spent a good few quid on securing John MccCane himself for the ad. A quick edit should allow the ISP to get it back on the air faster than Harry Stamper can drill 800-feet on an asteroid.
