Wal-Mart ad campaign criticized

Dallas The National Advertising Division of the Council of Better Business Bureaus said Monday that Wal-Mart should stop saying it can save consumers $700 a year.

According to a report in the Dallas Morning News, San Antonio-based H-E-B Grocery Co. challenged the commercials that cite a $700 average savings, and the BBB’s ad policing body followed up on the complaint. While Wal-Mart said Monday that it disagrees with the findings of the National Advertising Division of the Council of Better Business Bureaus, it has stopped airing the commercials.

H-E-B also challenged Wal-Mart's "unbeatable prices" advertising, according to the report, but the BBB group determined that consumers understand that all price-matching programs have terms and limitations. It did recommend that Wal-Mart "make its disclosures substantially more clear and conspicuous in its printed and broadcast advertising and on its in-store signage."

Truth and accuracy in advertising charges were brought by H-E-B in December.

Wal-Mart based its $700 average savings claim on an analysis by IHS Global Insight of a study that used 2007 sales of packaged food, excluding meat and produce. The study was based on households that spend $100 a week at the supermarket.

"Although we are not currently running this particular spot, we firmly believe that this claim is well-supported by the Global Insight study," said Linda Blakley, Wal-Mart's senior director of public relations and brand reputation. "We stand by these findings and are proud of the savings we deliver to our customers."