Football fans will know that today is transfer deadline day – and with Liverpool seemingly poised to splash out £35m on pony-tailed carthorse Andy Carroll, there’s surely a suitably clumsy metaphor to be found about shopping around for value.
As Warren Buffett famously said, price is what you pay, value is what you get.
With its 10% price guarantee, Asda has put itself there to be shot at. And after keeping suspiciously quiet for a couple of weeks, Tesco eventually gave its rivals both barrels. It branded the claim a “cynical ploy” that misled consumers by excluding a raft of products from its comparisons.
As last weekend’s edition of The Grocer revealed, the Advertising Standards Authority is inclined to agree. It will rule this week that the campaign surrounding last April’s launch of the price guarantee was indeed misleading. Tesco has also complained about adverts for the new 10% claim.
Today Asda went back on the front foot – up to a point. In fact, its new ad – which will hit screens this week – is a defensive move, insisting that its comparisons cover a host of “weekly favourites”.
While Tesco’s full-blooded (if belated) reaction hinted at concerns in the Cheshunt command bunker that Asda’s message was gaining traction, Asda’s next move shows its determination not be blown off course by the gale of criticism.
Like the interminable Premier League transfer sagas we see in each January window, this battle will run and run. And that’s guaranteed.
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