Specsavers fails to stop 'best for less'

Specsavers objected to a regional press advertisement for Optical Express, challenging a claim that 'you get the best for less' because it believed the advertiser could not substantiate it.
Optical Express stated the 'best for less' claim was intended as a matter of opinion but nevertheless substantiated its position to the ASA. It said the claim related to the range of products appearing in the ad that represented its best offer so far because they gave the best value for money on an historical basis. In one promotion Ð 'Free designer glasses for kids' Ð Optical Express asserted that customers typically perceived designer products more desirable than own brands and therefore the best products available.
Because the products advertised represented the best value offered by Optical Express so far, the ASA concluded that they represented the 'best for less' and concluded that the advertisement was not misleading.
Another complaint filed by Specsavers, however, against On:Spec Optical Co was upheld by the watchdog. The objection against On:Spec, which has two dispensing-only stores in Tyne and Wear, focused on a table in a leaflet that favourably compared On:Spec's prices with the 'Typical high street price'. The ASA concluded that the high street prices quoted by On:Spec were not 'typical' as they did not include prices from several leading optical outlets, including Specsavers. On:Spec was ordered not to repeat the approach.