Deliveroo ad banned over "misleading" delivery claims

The TV ad, screened in March, showed people using the Deliveroo app and collecting deliveries during a car chase, in space and tunnelling underground to escape prison.

A voiceover stated, "order what you want; where you want; when you want it".

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) ruled the ad was "likely to mislead" as it suggested delivery was "unrestricted throughout the UK", when this was not the case.

There were 22 complainants, who said Deliveroo did not deliver to their area and challenged the claim.

Deliveroo’s parent company Roofoods argued that the exaggerated scenes did not depict real life and that text on the screen stating "some restrictions apply" made it clear it did not cover all locations.

But the ASA said the ad was "worded absolutely" and would lead people to take the claim of unrestricted delivery literally.

Roofoods was told the ad must not appear in the same form and that none of their ads could claim or imply delivery was unrestricted across the country, unless it was the case.

A Deliveroo spokesman told the BBC​: "Deliveroo designed a playful advert to show that, through our service, people are able to order food to a wide range of places, whether home or work, for a range of occasions.

"We know some will be disappointed that their local area isn't currently served by Deliveroo, but we are expanding rapidly across the UK."