Burger King told to withdraw chicken burger ad

Fast-food giant Burger King has had a television advertising campaign banned after complaints that the chicken burger shown was bigger than the real thing, a watchdog has said.

After the TV advert for the Tendercrisp burger was described as misleading by two viewers, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) said it bought three burgers and found their overall thickness and height was "considerably less" than in the ad.

The ASA said: "We also examined the size of the burgers in the hands of an average-sized man and considered they did not fill the hands to the same extent as the burger featured in the ad.

"We concluded that the visuals in the ad were likely to mislead viewers."

Burger King told the watchdog it used the same ingredients and weights to make the TV burger as staff in its restaurants would use.

The commercial featured a man eating a large burger in an American-style motel room before an angry looking cow bursts in and a voiceover says: "New Tendercrisp chicken. So good you will cheat on beef."

The ASA ruled that the advert should not appear again in its current form.

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By Janie Stamford

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