DirecTV: Rob Lowe ads aren’t going anywhere
US satellite TV provider DirecTV has responded to the recommendation of campaign discontinuation by the National Advertising Division (NAD) by saying that its spots featuring Rob Lowe are here to stay.
The recommendations were made after DirecTV competitor, Comcast, claimed that the ads (above) featured misleading information.
It disputed the following statements with the NAD:
- “With DirecTV you get 99 per cent signal reliability”
- “With DirecTV you get 99.9 per cent signal reliability”
- “With DirecTV you get 1080p picture quality and Dolby 5.1. The industry’s best picture quality and sound.”
- “Up to 1080p picture quality”
- Rob Lowe Alter-Ego: “Don’t be like this me. Get rid of cable and upgrade to DirecTV”
- “DirecTV is #1 in customer satisfaction over all cable TV providers”
- “DirecTV is ranked higher than cable for over 10 years.”
- “DirecTV is the undisputed leader in sports which means you can watch all the games you want to”
- “When it comes to sports, with DirecTV, you can have them all.”
The NAD agreed with Comcast on all of the above claims, except those pertaining to DishTV's 99.9 per cent signal reliability and "up to 1080p picture quality".
In a statement, DirecTV said that it “continues to believe that the various Rob Lowe advertisements are so outlandish and exaggerated that no reasonable consumer would believe the statements being made by the alter-ego characters are comparative or need to be substantiated.”
As a result, DirecTV has appealed the NAD ruling.