Dyson advert banned over ‘misleading’ hose length claim

An advert for a Dyson vacuum cleaner has been banned over its “misleading” claim the length of the hose between the machine and the nozzle could reach 13.8 metres.

The video on Dyson’s website for its Light Ball Multi Floor vacuum cleaner, seen in July, showed the machine plugged in at the bottom of some stairs while a technician climbed to the top step carrying the nozzle or “wand”.

Meanwhile, a voice-over stated: “We’ve included an instant release wand … with a total 13.8-metre reach.”

Dyson explained “total reach” represented the measurement from the plug socket to the end of the longest combination of included accessories.

It further clarified the 13.8-metre measurement was taken when the socket was fixed to a wall at the same height as the machine outlet, the cable fully unwound and the cleaner head anchored to keep the machine perpendicular to the floor with the long accessory tool attached.

The Advertising Standards Agency said consumers would interpret the claims to relate to the maximum length of the hose when extended from the main machine to the nozzle.

It said: “We understood that the length of the hose, when extended, was not 13.8 metres and was actually significantly shorter.

“Because consumers were likely to understand the claim ‘13.8-metre reach’ to be referring to the length of the hose from the main machine to the nozzle, when actually it referred to the distance of the cord and hose from the plug socket to the nozzle, we concluded that the ad was likely to mislead consumers.”