- The Advertising Regulatory Board (ARB) ruled that Shoprite Checkers’ Petshop Science ad was misleading by implying exclusive same-day pet food delivery, despite other companies like Absolute Pets offering similar services.
- Absolute Pets successfully demonstrated that the ad’s slogan and messaging unfairly suggested no competitors existed, violating advertising codes on misleading claims.
- As a result, ARB members, including publishers and broadcasters, are instructed not to run the advert in its current form, even though Shoprite Checkers is not obliged to comply as a non-member.
Shoprite Checkers has been called out by South Africa’s Advertising Regulatory Board (ARB) for a misleading Petshop Science ad that promoted same-day pet food delivery via Checkers Sixty60.
The ARB determined that the campaign’s claim, “Specialised pet food delivered on the same day … now who else does that?” suggested exclusive service, even though other retailers, including Absolute Pets, provide the same-day option.
The issue arose after Absolute Pets lodged a complaint about a video ad distributed on Checkers’ social platforms. The original version even included a subtitle translating a dog’s bark as “No one,” strengthening the ad’s implication that competitors didn’t exist. Although Checkers later removed the subtitle, Absolute Pets argued that the overall message remained misleading.
Absolute Pets presented proof of its own “Go Fetch!” same-day pet food delivery and referenced similar offerings from other companies. The company argued that Checkers’ advertising unfairly downplayed competitors and breached the Code of Advertising Practice on grounds of substantiation, misleading claims, and comparative advertising.
Checkers’ defence and the ARB’s verdict
In response, Shoprite Checkers maintained that it is not an ARB member and not bound by its rulings, though it chose to participate in the proceedings. The retailer claimed its slogan was a playful, long-standing tagline, intended to spark engagement, not to suggest a monopoly on same-day pet food delivery.
The ARB, however, disagreed. It found that, in context, the ad implied exclusivity and could mislead consumers. The Board noted that public responses to the ad often referenced other same-day delivery options, underscoring the misleading impression. The regulator ultimately ruled that the ad contravened Clause 4.2.1 of Section II of the Code by creating a false impression of uniqueness.
What happens next?
The ARB has instructed its members not to accept any advertising from Shoprite Checkers that repeats the disputed claim. While Shoprite Checkers is not compelled to comply as a non-member, the ruling prevents ARB-affiliated publishers and broadcasters from running the advert in its current form.
The ARB wrote in its ruling: “The obvious answer, the point that is trying to be made, is that ‘nobody’ else offers this service. This is simply not true.”
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