Home Depot to change Behr paints advertising

Notice anything different in the paint aisle of the Home Depot you usually visit? Chances are the banners that have boasted about the top-rated performance of the home center's exclusive line of Behr interior paints have come down.

In our March 2008 report on interior paints, finishes from Kilz (low-luster), Benjamin Moore (flat), and Valspar (semigloss) were the top-rated products, ending Behr's multiyear run as our No. 1 paint in all three categories. Behr paints still performed well in our tests and were chosen as Quick Picks.

Shortly after the March issue came out, a Montanan named Mike Wall noticed several banners promoting Behr paints at his local Home Depot. "Rated #1 by a leading independent consumer publication," read one. "Rated #1 four years in a row," said another. Wall had seen our report, so he knew the banners, part of a larger print, TV, radio, and Web advertising campaign, were no longer accurate. (The Behr marketing efforts also included "Rated #1 for coverage. And Rated #1 in high-traffic areas" and "Rated #1 by an independent national study" ads.)

Wall is not a disinterested party in how Home Depot markets its products—he's the owner of Power Townsend, an independent home center that's been in Helena since 1867. But the Behr banners struck him as unfair. "They make claims that really aren't true, and that affects the little guys," says Wall.

Wall filed an official challenge to Home Depot's Behr ads with the National Advertising Division, the investigative arm of the National Advertising Review Council, the industry's watchdog. After reviewing the evidence, the NAD ruled in favor of Wall in mid-July, recommending that Home Depot discontinue that Behr advertising campaign. (Note that Home Depot had stopped its "Rated #1 by a leading independent consumer publication" advertising before Wall's complaint, so the NAD did not examine that particular ad.)

In an advertiser's statement to the NAD, Home Depot said that while it disagrees with certain NAD findings, it "nonetheless supports [NARC's] voluntary self-regulatory process and will modify those claims accordingly."

The Consumer Reports legal department had repeatedly tried to stop Home Depot's Behr "Rated #1" ad campaign because it violated our no-commercial-use policy, which prevents companies from using our ratings to promote their products and services. Over the years, Home Depot has consistently maintained to us that the ads were not based on our findings but rather on those from Marschall Labs, of Clearwater, Florida.

Learn more about the NAD findings by reading this PDF: Behr_NAD_decision.pdf.—Daniel DiClerico

Comments

[kallen]

this is pretty awesome. score one for the little guys! and this gives hope to all people who think that their actions won't make a difference.

[Arel Decks]

I personally have lost faith in CR over the Behr issues.

It seems that CR has 'been in bed' with companies like Behr way too long to be truly unbiased, despite what is said in a public forum. There may have been some internal legal concerns regarding the issue but I have found nothing that shows CR publicly disputed the advertising claims by HD and Behr, which is another issue in itself.

Here is an article about the misleading marketing practices used by Behr when advertising their "#1" claim over the last several years. Based on the NAD findings: It was recently found to be false and misleading in the industry when other products actually outperformed them, even according to CR. Take from it what you wish:

http://www.fredlaw.com/articles/marketing/mark_0807_srb.html

It would have been respectable if CR would have quoted averages in the field and shown who actually was the leader here, instead they said nothing publicly for years. I feel that CR has not done consumers any justice here, with the big players like Behr and Home Depot. Lawsuits and multi-million dollar settlements with consistent product failure should have been a factor in a 'realistic' performance environment. In the end, everyone looses. Too many people I know, no longer trust CR over rating concerns like this, where there is a clear trend that a product is not performing as quoted and still millions are made by false claims that are not refuted.

It would be nice to have my faith restored in CR to distance itself in issues like this when they are made aware a not after the fact.

[A W Smith]

As a home improvement contractor, I have to wonder about consumer reports objectivity regarding Behr Paint. Something in not on the up and up. If you follow the link in my signature you will be brought to a contractor forum site where it is unanimous that Behr Paint has coverage and hide issues. To put it bluntly. It is junk and as Contractors we refuse to use it. So who would you trust? Tradesmen who paint on a daily basis? Or a consumer advocacy corporation who's appeal is to the masses reviewing products sold in box stores?

[A W Smith]

forgot the link
http://www.contractortalk.com/f8/behr-no-longer-1-a-33722/