Marketing[edit]

An unmanned Asda petrol station in Middleton, Leeds.

Campaigns[edit]
In the 'Asda price' campaign,[92] customers tap their trouser pocket twice, producing a 'chinking'
sound as the coins that Asda's low prices have supposedly left in their pockets knock together. The
pocket tap ads were launched in 1977 and over the next 30 years, a range of celebrities have been
"tappers", including from 1978, actors Richard Beckinsale, Paula Wilcox and James Bolam. And
later, Julie Walters, and football player Michael Owen. In the late 1970s, adverts also included
actor Leonard Rossiter.[93]
In 1980, Carry On actress Hattie Jacques appeared in the advert as a school crossing patrol
officer.[94] Between 1981 and 1985, Asda used the slogan 'All Together Better' in conjunction with the
'Asda Price' pocket tap campaign in TV commercials and newspaper and magazine advertisements.
When the new green capitalised ASDA logo started to appear from 1985, in early 1986 onwards and
until early 1989, two slogans were used. The first, 'You'd be off your trolley to go anywhere else',
was replaced in 1987 by 'One trip and you're laughing'.[95]
In 1989, and until late 1991, before the reintroduction of the pocket tap campaign, advertising for
Asda had featured the Fairground Attraction song "Perfect" with the slogan 'It 'Asda be Asda', which
was based upon the lyrics of the song. When the Asda Price slogan was reintroduced in 1992, the
strapline Pocket the Difference (capitalised) was added alongside it. This was replaced by
'Permanently Low Prices, Forever' in 1996.[96]
From 1990 to 1991, Asda were the sponsors of Sheffield Wednesday F.C.[97]
In the smiley face "rollback" campaign, also used by Walmart, a CGI smiley face bounced from price
tag to price tag, knocking them down as customers watch.[98] In 2006, Asda advertising was themed
around singing children and the slogan "More for you for less".[99]
For Christmas 2007, Asda reintroduced the "That's Asda price" slogan.[100]
In 2008, the company refocused on price with a "Why Pay More?" campaign both on TV and in
stores. Asda TV commercials in April 2009 focused on price comparisons between Asda and its
rivals, using information from mySupermarket. The music being used in these adverts is the Billy
Childish version of the classic Dad's Army theme tune. The old Asda jingle is not included in
these,[101] but appeared in a 2008 Christmas advert.[102]
In August 2005, rival supermarket chain Tesco challenged Asda's ability to use the claim that it was
the cheapest supermarket in the country, by complaining to the Advertising Standards Agency. The
ASA upheld the complaint and ordered Asda to stop using it.[103]

Energy drinks[edit]
In January 2018, Asda became one of the first supermarkets to ban selling energy drinks such
as Red Bull to under-16s.[104]

Ethical trading[edit]
Asda has signed up to the Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI) which respects workers' rights for freedom
of association and a living wage. Implementing this initiative is difficult, however, because the
concept of a living wage varies by country and the buying strategies of a major importer like Asda
have an indirect impact on national minimum wages by obliging governments to set them low
enough to stop businesses from going elsewhere.[105] Industry pressure groups such as Labour
Behind the Label and War on Want have argued that Asda and other budget retailers use unethical
labour practices in the developing world to keep UK prices low.[106][107]
The National Farmers' Union, representing UK farmers and growers, has argued that Asda and other
major supermarkets have made large profits and kept consumer prices low "by squeezing suppliers'
margins to the point where many of them have gone out of business".[108] Asda have also refused to
sign up to and donate to the Rana Plaza Donors Trust Fund, to donate compensation to the families
of workers in Bangladesh killed when their factory building in Rana Plaza collapsed in 2013. Instead,
Asda donated an undisclosed sum to the poverty relief charity Building Relationships Across
Communities, who in turn pledged around £1.3m to the fund. Campaigners believe Asda is unwilling
to set a precedent on indemnity pay for large scale industrial accidents.[109]
In 2009, Asda's Valentine's Day roses, sold at £2 for a dozen, were said to be ethically sourced by
the supermarket. This claim went against research carried out by War on Want.[110]

Charities[edit]
Asda supports the following charities through its stores:

• BBC Children in Need - appeal organised by the BBC.[111]

• Breast Cancer Care - women's cancer research.[112]
• Everyman - men's cancer research.[113]
• Asda Foundation - supporting local causes of Asda store workers, with projects
supported across the UK.[114]

Controversies[edit]
Dairy price fixing[edit]
In December 2007, Asda, Sainsbury's and other retailers and dairy firms admitted to the price
fixing of dairy products between 2002 and 2003.[115] The price operation was calculated to have cost
consumers around £270 million.[116]
Asda commented, "Everyone at Asda regrets what happened, particularly as we are passionate
about lowering prices. Our intention was to provide more money for dairy farmers, who were under
severe financial pressure at the time."[117] In total, Asda was fined £18.21 million by the Office of Fair
Trading for its part in the cartel.[118]

False and misleading advertising[edit]

In 2010, a national press ad for Asda on a double-page spread was headed "The big Asda Rollback"
with headings stating "Lower prices on everything you buy, week in week out" with equal prominence
to a column headed "Lower prices than any other supermarket"; that the arrows underneath the
heading "Lower prices than any other supermarket" compared prices at Asda with prices at
Sainsbury's, Tesco and Morrisons. The ASA ruled that in the context in which it appeared, it was
ambiguous in that it could be interpreted either as referring to price reductions that had taken place
within Asda or to price comparisons with the named competitors. In addition, because the ad did not
explain that the price reductions had not necessarily taken place in the week that immediately
preceded the ad, they concluded that the headings which stated the number of price reductions that
had taken place in each product category were misleading. The ASA also concluded that the "Lower
prices than any other supermarket" claim in the advert was misleading.[119]
The ASA disagreed, and referred to the claim "Everything is at least half price!" was likely to imply to
viewers that all toys were included in the sale. As all toys were not included in the sale, and in the
absence of a qualifying statement, the ad was misleading.[120]
The ASA ruled in 2011 that a television advertisement and two national press ads did not give
sufficient prominence to the fact that exclusions applied.[121]
Another advertisement from Asda, in which it featured World Cup related products and an Asda
price guarantee was misleading as the World Cup related products were exclusive to Asda and not,
therefore, available at Morrisons, Tesco or Sainsbury's.[121]
In 2009, the ASA challenged whether a press ad which showed a large green arrow bearing down
on a smaller yellow arrow with a crumpled tip and "Asda 2955 products cheaper" should set out how
the general price claims made in the ads could be verified by consumers. Because it was not
possible for consumers or competitors to check the products and prices used in the comparison
using mySupermarket.co.uk, and because the ads did not set out how consumers and competitors
could check that information for themselves, the ASA concluded that the ads did not satisfy the
criterion of verifiability as defined in the 2006 European Court of Justice ruling, and were therefore in
breach of the advertising Codes.[122]
The ASA ruled that, due to the significant limitations and qualifications to the basis of the price
comparison which were not included in the ad, or in the terms and conditions on Asda's website, the
approach taken in making the comparisons was unfair and misleading.[123]
A press ad, which appeared on 26 September 2011, was headlined "Only one supermarket is ...
always 10% cheaper or we'll give you the difference guaranteed". However, at the top of the ad
there was a banner that contained the claims "SALE", "Half Price", "Price Drop", "50% off", "1/2
price", "cheap" and that part of the headline claim "... always 10% cheaper" appeared in bold text in
the middle of the ad. The ASA considered the banner, together with the headline was likely to be
interpreted by consumers as claims that referred to the price of Asda goods. Since consumers could
interpret that claim as one which guaranteed to refund the difference, should Asda not be the lowest
on price, the ASA considered the presence of the claim "only one supermarket is always 10%
cheaper" could create the impression that Asda were always 10% cheaper and would be interpreted
as a 'lowest price' claim. The ASA therefore concluded that the advert was misleading. It also noted
the footnote explaining the APG contradicted Asda's absolute claim that they were always the lowest
on price, and that the disclaimer was also misleading.[124]
In 2009, the ASA ruled that an advert for a proposed development in New Barnet was misleading,
because it compared the floorspace of the development with the floorspace and additional buildings
of a Sainsbury's store and with an unapproved Tesco plan.[125]

2013 horsemeat scandal[edit]

See also: 2013 horse meat scandal
In 2013, DNA tests revealed that horsemeat was present in Asda's Chosen By You fresh
beef Bolognese sauce, the first instance during the 2013 meat adulteration scandal of horsemeat
being found in fresh meat.[126]

Award[edit]
 • March 2009: Voted Innovative Employer of the Year, at the Oracle Retail Week
Awards.[127]

See also[edit]

• Yorkshire portal

• Food portal

• Companies portal

• 2007 UK petrol contamination

• European Marketing Distribution purchasing organization
• List of convenience stores
• List of department stores
• List of hypermarkets
• List of superstores
• List of supermarkets

References