South African Apple distributor Core Group has been ordered by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) to withdraw an advertisement in which it claims that Apple iPads are used four times more than other tablet computers.

The order followed a complaint lodged by a Gareth James against the ad, which was flighted on Talk Radio 702 at the end of last year.

The offending ad stated: “iPad is used four times more than all other tablets put together…”

The complainant cited data, reportedly from research firm World Wide Worx, suggesting that the iPad has less than 45% market share in South Africa.

In response, Core Group claimed the ad refers to usage and not market share and said that iPad usage share is at 81% of all tablets and is therefore “used four times more than all other tablets”.

In support, Core attached a report from a firm called Chitika.

In its ruling, the ASA said advertising should not contain any statement that is likely to mislead the consumer.

“While perhaps true that there might be a difference between claimed ‘usage’ and claimed ‘market share’, as stated by the respondent, it is unclear whether this would materially influence the hypothetical reasonable person’s overall takeout of the commercial,” it said.

The ASA said it studied the Chitika report supplied by Core, but was not convinced that it was sufficient to prove the claim made in the ad.

“The report specifies that the sampled audience consisted of North American and Canadian tablet owners, measuring their Web traffic. It appears to have been done between 15 September 2013 and 21 September 2013, and consisted of approximately 300m US and Canadian impressions.

“The results indicate that more than 96% of all tablet Web traffic in North America is generated by users of just five tablets… More specifically, it states that iPad users generated 81% of all tablet Web traffic within North America over that period.”

The ASA was not satisfied that this adequately supported the claim made in Core Group’s ad. “The claim ‘iPad is used four times more than all other tablets put together’ is unqualified, and will likely have at least two reasonable interpretations when heard by South African consumers, that it relates to global usage or to South African usage.

“The evidence relied on by the respondent appears to relate only to North America and Canada, and is therefore not sufficient to support either of the above interpretations, as it either excludes other world markets, or relates to a completely different continent to the one where the claim is made. At best, the respondent has shown that its product is used four times as much as all other tablets in North America and Canada in terms of Web traffic. This is not, however, what is claimed.

“Given the unqualified nature of the claim, the directorate does not need to determine which of the two likely interpretations above are more appropriate at this time. It is satisfied, however, that what is claimed, and what is projected by the Chitika report, is not one and the same.”