Praktikertjänst's 'Sweden's most satisfied patients' ad — the asterisk named the parent

Praktikertjänst Bjärreds vårdcentral ran an ad on dn.se with a yellow speech bubble reading 'Together we make a difference in practice', followed by 'Register at the healthcare center with Sweden's most satisfied patients*'.

A smaller footnote explained that Bjärreds Vårdcentral is part of Praktikertjänst, which per SKR and Svenskt Kvalitetsindex has had Sweden's most satisfied patients for ten years. The advertiser's logo sat at the bottom.

A complainant said the ad was misleading: the large-type claim implied this specific centre had Sweden's most satisfied patients, while the asterisk only supported satisfaction for the Praktikertjänst cooperative as a whole, not Bjärreds.

Praktikertjänst argued the ad was truthful, that the asterisk signalled the claim must be read with the footnote, and that the footnote clearly attributed the record to the cooperative. The Opinionsnämnd disagreed, finding an average consumer would read the prominent claim with the 'Bjärreds vårdcentral' sender as meaning the advertiser itself had Sweden's most satisfied patients, which was not substantiated. The asterisk did not neutralise it. The ad breached Article 5 of the ICC Code, unanimously.