Comcast Abandons 10G Branding NAD Following Advertising Watchdogs’ Misleading Claims
Comcast is discontinuing the use of the “Xfinity 10G NAD Network” branding for its internet service following a National Advertising Review Board (NARB) panel’s findings. The panel determined that the term could potentially mislead consumers into believing that Comcast’s cellular and broadband services would provide significantly faster speeds than current-generation networks, prompting rivals T-Mobile and Verizon to challenge the branding through the National Advertising Division (NAD), an ad industry watchdog.
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NAD
The NAD recommended Comcast abandon the term in October 2023. The confusion arises from the fact that “5G” pertains to mobile internet, while “10G” denotes 10-gigabit broadband speeds delivered to homes through physical infrastructure.
The NARB, concurring with the NAD’s decision, advised Comcast to cease using the term “10G” in the product service name “Xfinity 10G Network” and when descriptively referring to the Xfinity network. The panel found that the branding might mislead consumers into thinking “10G” offers significantly faster speeds than current-generation 5G networks.
Additionally, the NARB determined that using “10G” to describe home broadband, as Comcast did, could be misleading as consumers might assume they would receive 10-gigabit internet speeds on every Xfinity connection. In reality, achieving those speeds requires opting for Xfinity’s fiber-to-the-home connection, incurring additional costs.
Comcast, in a statement to the NARB, agreed to discontinue the misleading branding in its marketing. However, the company asserted its right to use both “10G” and “Xfinity 10G” in ways that do not misleadingly describe the Xfinity network itself.
Although Comcast disagrees with the NARB’s analysis, it commits to stopping the use of the brand name “Xfinity 10G Network” and refraining from using “10G” misleadingly to describe the Xfinity network. The company may still use these terms in ways that are not misleading in its marketing.
