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More Broadband for your Rand? Not so much!
| Staff Writer | May 27, 2011 | No comments |
Staff Writer
MyBroadband’s Staff Writer is directly plugged into the South African Internet backbone, and spits out press releases and other news as he receives it. ...
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Vodacom in hot water about claiming that they offer consumers ‘More broadband for their Rand’
The significant growth in mobile data revenue means that South Africa’s cellular operators are focusing strongly on growing their mobile broadband market share to future proof their companies.
The advertising and marketing space is no exception, and mobile broadband advertising from Cell C, Vodacom, MTN and 8ta is hard to miss.
With the fierce rivalry between the cellular operators it is hardly surprising that some of their advertisements pushed the limits, and the Advertising Standards Authority of South Africa (ASA) has been hard at work to address complaints about mobile broadband advertisements.
More Broadband for your Rand
The latest ASA complaint revolves around Vodacom’s claim to offer ‘More broadband for your Rand’. The Vodacom website claimed “Without a doubt, you’ll get more Broadband for your Rand when you choose Vodacom Broadband”.
One consumer, Mr. Fourie, saw this advertisement as misleading as it implies that one will receive more data for their money. “This however, is not the case as Cell C offers cheaper data packages,” Fourie pointed out.
DRAFTFCB, on behalf of Vodacom, said that Fourie was incorrect to assume that the claim means Vodacom has the cheapest broadband offering, citing an article from MyBroadband explaining that cost, network coverage and performance determine the actual benefit of a broadband offering. “Furthermore, research commissioned by Vodafone concluded that Vodacom is the best mobile broadband network in South Africa,” DRAFTFCB stated.
Not so much
The ASA was not convinced, arguing that a reasonable person viewing the advertisement would assume that Vodacom offers better data deals than other operators in terms of pricing.
“This impression is strengthened by the wording “for your Rand” and “from as little as…R9.25 per Bundle,” the ASA pointed out.
The ASA ruled that the claim “More Broadband for your Rand” is misleading, and must be withdrawn with immediate effect.
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