John Lewis in hot water as “misleading” ad is pulled
John Lewis was forced to apologise after it aired an ad that was considered potentially misleading by the financial watchdog.
“This advert has been withdrawn because the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) considers the content to be potentially misleading and could cause customers to be confused about John Lewis’s new home contents insurance offering,” the department store said in a statement.
The ad, which portrayed a young boy knocking over a few things while dancing to a Stevie Nicks song, failed to specify that the accidental damage cover was available as an add-on to the new home contents insurance and only covered accidental damage.
“We have decided to contact every customer who purchased our new home contents insurance cover from 11 to 31 October to confirm they understood these points and are happy with their purchase,” read John Lewis’s statement.
“Financial services firms’ marketing must be clear, fair and not misleading,” an FCA spokesperson told the outlet.
Before the FCA’s decision, the ad was already a contentious topic, as it was accused of “agenda pushing” as well as of depicting “male entitlement”, reported Sky News.