NEW YORK The National Advertising Division of the Council of Better Business Bureaus has a message for Cablevision regarding certain ad claims that promise the fastest Internet in the country: not so fast my friend.
On Thursday the NAD -- in response to a challenge issued by telecom rival Verizon -- urged Cablevision to either change or dump its recent ads, which boast of superior Internet service. The self-regulatory organization specifically recommended that the phrases "fastest around," "everything else is stuck in the past" and "most advanced fiber-optic network" be scrapped.
The NAD also cited several Cablevision ad messages that, while not deemed entirely inaccurate, should be reviewed regularly for accuracy. For example, according to the NAD, Cablelvision’s claim that its Optimum Online service is "5x faster" than competitors is currently sound, but worthy of future scrutiny. "Advertisers must take steps to ensure that their claims remain accurate, particularly in a market ...where the technology evolves so quickly," said the NAD’s report.
Just prior to the conclusion of the NAD’s inquiry, Cablevision proactively discontinued certain claims, as the company was likely looking to avoid public censure. Those claims were related to both Internet speed and HD picture quality, including: "best HD picture," "sharpest HD picture and sound" and "America’s fastest home Internet access," among others.
According to the NAD, Cablevision parent CSC Holdings was quick to respond to the report with a statement promising to take the recommendations seriously. “[Cablevision] appreciates NAD’s careful consideration of the issues in this matter [and] agrees to take into account NAD’s findings in this inquiry in future advertising,” CSC said.
