A publication that resembled a free local paper featured quotes from experts claiming gold to be a safe investment. The newspaper insert could not properly be identified as an advertisement, so the marketing was found to be misleading.
Tavex Oy marketed gold as an investment by publishing its own advertising leaflet, Kultalehti (Gold Magazine), as an insert in the newspaper Helsingin Sanomat. The word "Advertisement" in a small font at the top edge was the only indication of the publication's purpose. In other respects, with its articles that discussed investing in gold, the insert did not look like an advertisement. In the view of the Finnish Consumer Agency, the leaflet did not meet the requirements for identifiable advertising, and thus was misleading.
Delivered together with the daily newspaper, the insert reached a large, diverse group of people. An advertisement must be recognizable as such at first glance, so just printing "Advertisement" in small letters in the margin is not enough to ensure that a consumer will see it as material designed to promote sales.
Gold – a safe investment?
Kultalehti claimed that gold is a safe investment for securing one's future. It also gave the impression that investments other than gold are more prone to risk. This claim is not justifiable, however. There is no such thing as a safe investment; all have their own risks. Unproven claims like this are not allowed in advertising.
The inappropriate nature of marketing is magnified when an advertisement that looks like editorial material contains distorted information.
The company declared it will discontinue this type of marketing, which is misleading and inappropriate from the consumer's point of view.