---
title: "Honest marketing is important"
url: https://www.simonwakeman.com/blog/2009/04/02/honest-marketing-is-important/
description: "Consultant and fractional COO for scale-up businesses. I help founders, leaders and investors in scaling businesses create sustainably high performing organisations."
published: 2009-04-02T10:52:21+00:00
modified: 2026-04-11T16:25:04+00:00
author: Simon Wakeman
---
# Honest marketing is important

## Honest marketing is important

I was in London yesterday and spotted this ad on the tube:  
[![01042009092](https://www.simonwakeman.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/01042009092-300x158.jpg "01042009092")](https://www.simonwakeman.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/01042009092.jpg)  
The ad headline reads:

> Cheaper car insurance for homes with two or more cars

And the flash says:

> Kate and Steve could insure both their cars with Admiral MultiCar and SAVE UP TO £200

Yet on closer inspection the small print on the ad is quite revealing:  
[![01042009093](https://www.simonwakeman.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/01042009093-300x99.jpg "01042009093")](https://www.simonwakeman.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/01042009093.jpg)  
It’s not a great picture, but the small print reads:

> 13% who had a multicar quote between July – Dec 08 for 2 cars & 2 drivers and provided a best alternative quote saved £200

Now while that says to me that not all customers getting quote provided a best alternative quote, of those that did **only** 13% actually saved the amount claimed in the flash on the ad.  
Is 13% of people really justification for saying “cheaper car insurance” and “could..save up to £200” in an advert?  
Well, within the letter of the code that governs advertising, yes, it is.  
But to me it just seems dishonest – aiming to mislead potential customers on the basis of information that doesn’t properly back up the claim made.  
There’s a real difference between claims you _can_ make and those you _should_ make in advertising.  
And for me, basing a claim of savings that only apply to 13% of people just doesn’t stack up.