Conti forced to pull print advert in UK

ERJ staff report (DS)

London -- The UK's Advertising Standards Authority has forced Continental to withdraw a series of UK-based print advertisements which claim that its tyres are best at wet-braking.

A national press ad for Continental Tyre Group Ltd showed a large picture of a tyre alongside text that stated "Stop with Continental tyres. Full stop." Smaller text at the bottom of the page stated "Nothing stops better than a Continental tyre." Michelin Tyre plc and Goodyear Dunlop Tyres UK Ltd challenged whether the claim "Nothing stops better than a Continental tyre" was misleading.

The ASA said it considered the claim "Nothing stops better than a Continental tyre" suggested that no competitor tyre performed better in braking performance than any model of Continental tyre. The organisation noted, however, that the TUV testing data related to one model of Continental tyre only in comparison with one model of tyre from each of six competitors. The ASA therefore considered the ad implied that the claim applied to all models of Continental tyre, but that the TUV data did not substantiate the claim that no competitor tyre performed better in braking performance than any model of Continental tyre.

Continental agreed to withdraw the claim that "Nothing stops better than a Continental tyre"

This is the second time in recent months that UK-based tyre makers have challenged Continental's advertising tactics. Earlier, Bridgestone managed to prevent Conti from running a fuel saving calculator on its website based on similar claims of misleading information. Conti has since reinstated a modified version of its fuel savings calculator.

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Adjudication from ASA