Funeral ad complaint upheld

A television ad fronted by rugby broadcasting legend Keith Quinn has fallen foul of the Advertising Standards Authority.

The CIGNA Life Insurance ad - in which Quinn states "the most simple funeral costs over $5000" - has been ruled misleading by the authority, after a complainant said there were cheaper funerals available, including one for $2000.

Quinn wasn't aware of the ruling.

"The only thing I can say really is that I stand by the product. I talked it through right from the very word go with the producers of the plan and the people who produced the television [ad] and I was happy with it. I like the product. It seems to work favourably for a lot of people."

The veteran broadcaster, who is a CIGNA member, had "no say" over the technicality of the words.

"I'm the person who represents it in the commercial and that's all. And happy to do so."

CIGNA defended itself to the authority, saying that until this complaint there had been no others - and the ad had been on air for about three years.

"One would have expected that if the CIGNA Funeral Plan advertising was incorrect or misleading there would have been a number of complaints by now, particularly from funeral directors and the Funeral Directors Association," CIGNA told the authority.

In June last year, the ASA upheld a October 2007 complaint against Hanover Group, in which a voiceover by former news anchor Richard Long claimed it was a "New Zealand business with the size and strength to withstand any conditions".

The complainant, who was a financial adviser, said the statement was "grossly misleading" due to the financial downturn.

The ASA ruled it breached two principles; social responsibility and the basic tenet of truth clarity.