The UK advertising standards authority (ASA) today issued a decision to ascertain a piece of advertising by Lloyds Banking Group to be misleading.
This ad is a national advertisement for the Lloyds Banking Group, observed on March 25, 2025. It included a photo of a black horse covering new houses with ongoing work. Great text stated “£ 19.5 billion for social housing and this is exactly the beginning”. Smaller text that stated that “everyone deserves a safe place to call home. So we have provided £ 19.5 billion pounds in the field of social housing since 2018, helping British prosperity seek Banking Group’s social residence.” Advertising included the Lloyds Banking Group logo.
The complainant questioned whether the advertisement was misleading that Lloyds Banking Group had donated £ 19.5 billion for social housing projects.
The observer found that, in the absence of further qualifications, readers were likely to interpret the allegations “19.5 billion pounds for social housing” and “for what we had provided £ 19.5 billion in the field of social housing in 2018” The number mentioned in funding that had benefited directly within it.
Specifically, ASA believed that readers were likely to understand the term “provided” that it means that funding had been given or donated to social housing projects, rather than available through trade or investment.
In addition, the ASA examined the overall presentation of the advertisement, including the image of Lloyds Black Horse that covers the new houses with the ongoing work construction and the statement “helping Britain prospered”, promoted this impression.
Overall, ASA believed that readers were likely to interpret that the Lloyds Banking Group had played a direct role in creating affordable homes and funding had been provided on a non -commercial basis for public benefit.
ASA concluded that the overall presentation of advertising, in the absence of any qualification or clarification of text, while being ambiguous, gave the overall impression that the amount of money was donated to the social housing sector. Because this was not the case, ASA concluded that it was misleading.
Advertising violated Capital Code (Edition 12) Rules 3.1 and 3.3 (misleading advertising).
Advertising should not appear again in the format. Asa told Lloyds Bank Plc T/A Lloyds Banking Group not implying misleading that they had donated money to social housing projects when this was not the case and to ensure that future ads did not mislead by missing important information in the context.