Brita water filter ad ‘impurity’ claim did not mislead

Two claims made in an ad by water filter specialist Brita were not misleading, the advertising watchdog has decided.

The national press ad stated “… Brita filters reduce limescale, chlorine and other impurities in tap water, making your hot and cold water taste great. To celebrate the summer and help you drink the recommended 8 glasses of water a day …”

But someone complained to the Advertising Standards Authority that the description of chlorine in tap water as an impurity, and the claim that eight glasses of water a day were recommended, were both misleading.

He argued that chlorine was added to water to maintain hygienic conditions within the public water supply, and the ASA agreed that most people would know that and that it was safe to drink. However, it said that in the context of the ad people would understand the reference to impurity to relate to taste – and that some consumers might indeed want to remove the taste of chlorine from their tap water.

On the matter of eight glasses of water a day being recommended, Brita pointed out that an article on the NHS website advocated people drinking six to eight glasses of fluids daily. The ASA therefore decided that the claim had been substantiated and that neither claim was misleading.