The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) found that claims that Kodak all-in-one printers could save up to £75 a year on ink were misleading as they were based on a user printing 1500 pages per year.
Both HP and a member of the public lodged complaints over the ad campaign, prompting the ASA to investigate.
The TV and press adverts have been banned in their current forms, though a radio advert from the campaign has been found not to be misleading. The campaign ceased its run at the end of 2009.
In order for such “up to” money saving claims to be valid, at least 10 percent of users must be proven to be able to make use of it, and the ASA determined this was not the case for either of the two pulled ads.
The ASA said: “Although we noted ink for the Kodak printer was generally cheaper than their competitors, because we were not persuaded that the figure of 1500 pages represented a reasonable yearly print volume for most UK inkjet printer users, we considered the headline claim “you’ll save an average of £75 a year on ink” created a misleading impression of the savings available.”
Patrick Hamilton, Public Relations Director at Kodak, commented: “From Kodak’s point of view I think it’s important to confirm that the ASA adjudication noted that Kodak ink is “generally cheaper” than the competition. The fact that people can save money by using Kodak printers was not in dispute.”
HP has also been contacted for comment.