Intuit and ACCPAC in advertising row
Fierce business software rivals ACCPAC and Intuit have become embroiled in a bitter row after Intuit complained to the Advertising Standards Authority over the tone of its competitor's advertising campaign.
The ASA this week confirmed it has received a complaint over an ACCPAC advert which suggested its software product Simply Accounting, was ‘better’ than Intuit’s Quickbooks offering as it was ‘real accounting with a complete audit trail.’
A spokeswoman for the ASA, said: ‘We have had a complaint regarding the ACCPAC advert and are carrying out some preliminary work on it. The process can become very drawn out if lawyers become involved. A decision may not be reached for a couple of months.’
Intuit has also complained because it feels the advert ‘creates a misleading impression’ of its software and claims that the fact that its product is accredited by the ICAEW has not been made clear.
A spokesman for Intuit, confirmed: ‘We have submitted a complaint to the ASA and are awaiting the outcome.’
Nobody at ACCPAC was available for comment at the time of going to press.
The row comes as the battle to increase the number of customers in the lucrative SME accounting market hots up.
At the end of last year, ACCPAC announced plans to give away a million copies of its SOHO and SME accounting software.
At the giveaway, ACCPAC management, said: ‘None of our competitors have the confidence in their product to make it free on an unlimited basis to a million users.’
Meanwhile, Intuit UK managing director Stephen Lee has revealed that the SME software vendor is planning to expand into the mid-market.
‘We are very excited by the opportunities in the small and medium-sized UK business accounting software markets,’ said Lee.