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Sony Ericsson in Facebook compatibility snafu

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Posted 18th February 2010 at 12:47pm by Ewan Taylor-Gibson

SONY ERICSSON SATIO

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has responded to complaints about an advert for the Sony Ericsson Satio which some have said makes false claims about Facebook compatibility.

Consumer complaints focussed on a Sony Ericsson Satio TV spot which claimed that the phone was "packed with applications and more available to download" and prominently showing the Facebook logo.

After one viewer who succumbed to the attractive advert and bought the Satio complained, the ASA became involved and reprimanded Sony Ericsson for misleading customers that the phone would allow users to access Facebook from their phone.

The ASA stated: "Because the ad implied the application was either pre-loaded on the phone or would be available to download and because this was not the case at the time the ad was broadcast, we concluded the ad was misleading."

Sony Ericsson has countered by pointing out that although the Facebook app is not included as part of the basic software package on the Satio, it is now available to download from the PlayNow service for those who want to use it.

Clearcast, the regulatory authority that is directly in charge of examining ads before they are approved for the airwaves, added to Sony Ericsson's woes by saying that Sony Ericsson had given it assurances that "[the] Facebook application was pre-loaded on to the handset."

More news on: Advertising & brands, Sony Ericsson, Camera mobile phones, Touchscreen phones, Sony Ericsson Satio, Facebook mobile phones, Smart mobile phones

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  • Yuri , 19th February 2010.

    Good to see this kind of thing being cracked down on. The iPhone ads were bad enough: 'Some steps may have been removed'. Yeah, all of them.

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