Dell has been found guilty of breaking advertising standards with a recent TV ad. That's the findings of the ASA (Advertising Standards Authority) who discovered that Dell P4 adverts showed Celeron machines. A viewer complained that the ad in question was misleading in that it could lead to non-technical viewers not being aware that a lower price which was referred to actually related to a lower performance processor.
The ad in question began 'We'll help you get your ideal PC like this dimension desktop featuring the powerful Intel Pentium 4 processor' and briefly showed a PC on screen. It then showed another PC and claimed 'Other Dell Desktops come with a flat panel monitor and start at just £349'. On-screen text beside the second PC said 'Dell Dimension 2400 with Intel Celeron Processor only £349'. And then, at the end, the voiceover claimed 'Dell PCs use Intel Pentium 4 processors'.
The ASA has now ruled that the ad breached CAP (Broadcast) TV Advertising Standards Code Rules 5.1 (Misleading advertising), 5.2.2 (Implications) and 5.4.2 (Superimposed text).