Sony Ericsson slapped for "exaggerated" Satio ad
updated 06:10 pm EST, Thu February 18, 2010
UK's advertising watchdog calls ad misleading
The agency that governs advertising in the UK has found that a television ad for the Sony Ericsson Satio violated that country's truth-in-advertising law. The Advertising Standards Authority called the ad "misleading" because it implied a Facebook app was either preinstalled or available for the Satio. Early versions of the phone did not contain a Facebook app, and software problems made it impossible for users to install.
In its response to the complaint, Sony Ericsson noted that the software problems that caused the difficulty with the Facebook application were addressed with an OS update. The ASA still ruled against the company, since the application was not available at the time the ad was broadcast. No sanctions have been announced.
Problems with the Satio did little to help a dramatic slide in market share for the company, which shipped 40 percent fewer handsets in 2009 than in 2008. At least two major UK retailers temporarily suspended sales of the Satio due to the unusually high number of customer returns. [via BBC]
