ALBAWABA - Advertisements for Sky and Nike have been prohibited by the relevant authorities due to the use of so-called "dark pattern" strategies, which are intended to trick customers into spending money without their knowledge.
When customers clicked on an ad from the shoe behemoth Nike, they discovered that the sneaker was only available in children's sizes. In a similar vein Sky failed to disclose that a free trial of Now TV would automatically renew at a cost unless canceled, Yahoo reports.
In a statement, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) said that both decisions were a part of its broader investigation into "online choice architecture" (OCA), which has also been subject to review by the Competition and Markets Authority.
Price transparency and product information, hidden fees and so-called "drip pricing," as well as fraudulent and misleading reviews, are some of the concerns that surround online choice architecture (OCA), which refers to the manner in which merchants sell to consumers online.
During December, an advertisement for Nike was published on The Sole Supplier's X account. The advertisement showed a picture of a pair of trainers with the tagline "Now just £26 at Nike!", which was then followed by emojis of a black heart and an exploding head, according to The Guardian.
According to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), the advertisement did not include any information that suggested the trainers were designed for older children or that adult sizes were limited. However, the caption that was included with the emoji reinforced the idea that the shoes were designed for adults.
Nike said that the advertisement was made and released by The Sole Supplier without any participation or approval from the company. However, the company did not feel that the advertisement was deceptive, arguing that a reasonable customer would understand that there would be some limitations on the item, such as the variety of sizes available.
