Three ads for pet product company Bella&Toby have been banned by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) for failing to supply sufficient evidence to support the brand’s claim that its dog beds reduce stress and anxiety.
One of the ads featured copy that read: “Don’t let your pet suffer while you’re at work … one in four pets suffer from anxiety when home alone, but with Bella&Toby’s Anti-stress bed, your pet won’t be one of them!”
A member of the public contacted the ASA to challenge the claims made by the brand, believing that separation anxiety could not be addressed by the use of a comfortable bed.
Owners of Bella&Toby A&T International responded to the advertising watchdog’s enquiries by providing links to websites that included views from veterinary consultants and clinicians in veterinary medicine, supporting the idea that dog beds allow the animals to ‘relax’. The brand also provided a testimonial from a customer which stated that the bed was “very good quality” and attested that their dog goes “straight to the bed when there are fireworks”.
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Nevertheless, the ASA ruled that while A&T International provided general context to dog comfort, the evidence was not focused on the use of BellaToby’s dog bed.
“It was therefore insufficient to support the claims under investigation,” the ad authority added.
“The Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP) code requires marketers to hold documentary evidence to prove claims that consumers are likely to regard as objective and that are capable of objective substantiation.”
“Because we had not seen evidence that the dog bed shown could reduce or eliminate anxiety in dogs, we concluded that the efficacy claims for the product had not been substantiated and were likely to mislead.”
