Competitors Counter Cambridge PaversÌ Advertising Claims

Responding to challenges by Capitol Pavers & Retaining Walls, Concrete Stone & Tile, Grinnell Concrete Pavingstones and Unilock New York regarding accuracy of Cambridge Pavers Inc. print, broadcast and Internet advertising, the Council of Better Business Bureaus’ National Advertising Division has recommended Cambridge discontinue certain comparative and performance claims for its ArmorTec process pavers

Responding to challenges by Capitol Pavers & Retaining Walls, Concrete Stone & Tile, Grinnell Concrete Pavingstones and Unilock New York regarding accuracy of Cambridge Pavers Inc. print, broadcast and Internet advertising, the Council of Better Business Bureaus’ National Advertising Division has recommended Cambridge discontinue certain comparative and performance claims for its ArmorTec process pavers. In their appeal to NAD, Capitol, CST, Grinnell and Unilock NY cite advertising claims surrounding color retention, density, durability, porosity, and abrasion resistance of pavers from processes other than ArmorTec.

The challengers produce monolithic or color through pavers, while Cambridge specializes in stones with face plus base mixes. Following a review of photographs and performance test results, NAD determined that Cambridge’s evidence was not sufficient to support superiority, comparative-performance, and denigrating claims, and thus recommended discontinuation of their use Û along with side-by-side photos and product demonstrations. Cambridge officials noted they respectfully disagreed with certain NAD findings, but would take those findings into account in future advertising.

Capitol, CS&T and Cambridge and Grinnell each serve metro New York and other Mid-Atlantic markets from New Jersey headquarters; Unilock NY is based outside Buffalo.