HTC U11 ad banned in the UK for misleading consumers about water resistant capabilities

HTC is once again in the spotlight but not for right reasons. Although many would believe that all publicity is good publicity, trying to mislead your customers is likely to hurt your business rather than boost it.

The Taiwanese company has been promoting the HTC U11 in the UK since last year. Starting mid-2017, HTC's promotional campaign included an ad that was meant to highlight the new squeeze gestures of the U11.

The advert shows British Olympic diver Tom Daley using the HTC 11 at a swimming pool, jumping from the highest platform and taking selfies of himself by squeezing the phone while plunging into the water. Moreover, the ad showed the diver using the HTC U11 as he was going out of the water.

Unfortunately for HTC, the UK's advertising watchdog found that the ad is misleading and asked the handset maker to remove it from the promotion. The reasoning behind its decision is pretty simple: the phone's own instructions strongly recommends that it should not come into contact with pool water.

HTC issued a statement saying that while it's disappointed by Advertising Standards Authority's ruling, it has decided to remove the ad from all media:

We are disappointed by the ASA ruling but have removed the video from our sites. We apologise if anyone felt misled as to the handset's water resistant capabilities.

Finally, ASA's statement mentions that HTC admitted that “there were too many variations of water temperature and chemical composition” to recommend the use of the U11 in swimming pools.

#HTC #HTCU11 #U11 #Ads #Banned #UK #UnitedKingdom #Android #AndroidOreo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IrFlzQYY-yY