A consumer from São Paulo filed a complaint at CONAR (Brazil's National Advertising Self-Regulating Council) against an outdoor advertisement made by Burger King that promised meals for R$ 5.00 (approximately US$ 1.00). The consumer claimed that the text informing that the offer is only available in a few Burger King stores is displayed in the advertisement piece in such an unreadable manner that he only noticed it after getting inside one of the stores.

The advertiser defended itself by affirming that all the information relevant to the consumers' decision is contained in the advertisement. Hence, it could not be considered as misleading.

Nevertheless, CONAR agreed with the consumer, taking into account as an important point the fact that the advertisement was being displayed near a store that was not included in the promotion. Therefore, CONAR sent a warning to Burger King and requested the alteration of the advertisement, both in the readability aspect – making its restrictive clause clearer – and on the campaign's planning as a whole in order to not display it in places where it may cause confusion among consumers.

The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.