'Misleading' Burger King advert banned in the United Kingdom

July 22, 2010

An advert by fast food restaurant Burger King has been banned from British television over claims that it is misleading. The campaign for the new received two complaints over the fact that the burger appears significantly larger on the advert than in real life.

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) investigated the complaints and purchased three burgers from a Burger King restaurant. They reported that both the thickness and the height were "considerably less" than in the advertisement.

The ASA also commented on the actor, stating, "[w]e also examined the size of the burgers in the hands of an average-sized man and considered that they did not fill the hands to the same extent as the burger featured in the advert. We concluded that the visuals in the advert were likely to mislead viewers as to the size and composition of the product."

Burger King responded to the complaints, saying that the advert needed to make all the ingredients in the product clearly visible. Despite the company's defense, it has been ruled that the advert will not be shown again in its current form.