PeopleSoft censured for ambiguous claim

The complainant, rival software firm Marketpoint Europe, objected to the headline which ran across the ads claiming, "The first and only pure internet CRM solution is here", maintaining that it had offered a similar system for years.

PeopleSoft submitted far-reaching evidence to the Advertising Standards Authority in an attempt to show that its product is highly regarded in the industry and that its product range is greater than that of Marketpoint.

Despite these lengths, however, the advertising watchdog ruled that the ad was ambiguous because, although the advertiser offered a more extensive product range than the complainant's, both systems could be described as pure internet CRM solutions.

PeopleSoft said it had no plans to repeat the ad, and the ASA told the advertiser to ensure that future similar claims were fully qualified.

It also reminded PeopleSoft of the Advertising Code's requirement to hold conclusive documentary evidence to support all objective claims before submitting an ad for publication.

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