• Ad Age, Wednesday, April 19, 2006 12:45 PM

In the "truth in advertising" vacuum cleaner war, Dyson has won a battle against rival Hoover, but the struggle continues. The National Advertising Division of the Council of Better Business Bureaus has told Hoover, owned by Maytag Corp., to tone down claims that its WindTunnel and Fusion Upright vacuums perform better than Dyson's competing household vacuum. However, the ruling left a few doors open for Hoover. For example, the company can still contend its vacuums have superior sucking power--but only when clearly talking about performance on carpets. Hoover was also told to quit claiming that its Fusion cleaner suffers "no loss of suction" ever and that its WindTunnel completely traps allergens. Dyson still scored a big victory because it can argue its vacuum is the best overall choice. "It's a simple victory for technology and truth," Dyson founder James Dyson said. "I have spent millions developing better machines. Research is our lifeblood and it is imperative that we defend our inventions. Of course we would rather be developing new technology than being in the courtroom, but it's vital people know the truth." But this war is far from over, and both sides are gearing up for fights that will take place on different battlegrounds. For example, Dyson has filed a patent infringement suit against Maytag in a federal court in Delaware. And down in Louisiana, another competitor, Oreck has filed suit to challenge Dyson's "no loss of suction" ad claims.

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