Why Was Dyson’s Advert Banned?

Every day, an abundance of claims are made with regards to what is good and bad. From carcinogenic toast to the health implications of sleeping in a bra, these claims aren’t taken lightly. That is, if they have solid ground to stand on. However, with a recent Dyson advert, that may not have been the case.

Dyson and their purifier heater

Dyson released an advert promoting their Dyson Purifier Heater. The advert begins with green vapour coming from a car, with a voiceover asking, ‘what could be worse than air pollution outdoors?’. A concerned woman is then seen in a kitchen where an oven top hob and a fridge are emitting similar vapours to the car along with two plants.

With an interactive app stating that the air quality in the kitchen was now ‘poor’, the Dyson Purifier then sucks out the coloured vapours leaving a ‘pollution free’ kitchen. Dyson claim that their purifier used a HEPA filter, which captures particles and gases much like a water filter.

So why the uproar?

The advert caused controversy over the fact that Dyson were not only stating that indoor pollution is worse than outdoor, but also that their product is able to combat it. On top of its misleading claims, the advert was also suggested to undermine the effect of pollution altogether, regardless as to whether it was found inside or outside.

The backlash caused the Advertising Standard Authority (ASA) to intervene and assess whether Dyson were using their platform to inform or mislead consumers into buying their product. Under fire, Dyson came forward with several reports and studies which backed up their initial argument.

Who was right?

Their main argument stemmed from the US Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA)s claim that "indoor air levels of many pollutants may be 2-5 times and occasionally more than 100 times higher than outdoor levels". Outdoor levels are a big concern, which has led to landmark directives on how we manage industrial emissions.

In their defence, Dyson claimed that their advert did not state specific health risks caused from indoor pollution, rather they were increasing public awareness around the issues concerning it. They also argued that the car fumes were to emphasise the amount of pollutants in a home, rather than link car pollutants to indoor pollution.

ASA had the final say

After considering all of Dyson’s evidence however, the ASA concluded that the advert was misleading, and it was axed. In a statement, they addressed the issue by saying “We considered that the reports were not relevant in determining the comparative damage of indoor and outdoor pollutants and that the evidence was therefore not sufficient to demonstrate that indoor pollution was more damaging than outdoor pollution. We therefore concluded that the ad was misleading”