Watch: B&Q advert showing woman demolishing wall branded ‘irresponsible’
A television advert encouraging homeowners to undertake DIY renovations has been criticised as “irresponsible” by builders.
The B&Q advert, first aired in February, depicts a woman pondering demolishing a wall in her home with a sledgehammer, as well as a man sitting on the floor ready to paint the hallway as well as a variety of other homeowners undertaking DIY projects such as tiling and painting.
The 60-second clip features a voiceover saying phrases such as, “You can’t”, “It’s too big”, “It’s too fiddly”, “You don’t have the eye” and “You don’t have the knack”.
The voiceover then goes on to say “The voice is loud but guess what! A sledgehammer is louder”, and returns back to the woman showing her carrying out the task.
It ends with the line “You can do it, when you B&Q it”.
The slogan dates back 40 years and in February the company’s marketing director Tom Hampson said the You Can Do It slogan is “one of our most distinctive brand assets” and that the company is “delighted to be putting a spotlight on it with our brand-new campaign”.
However, professional tradespeople have cautioned people against the message, warning that home improvement is “nearly always a job for professionals”.
Checkatrade, the UK’s leading online platform for tradespeople, said it has seen a 15 per cent increase in emergency demolition jobs in the period in which the B&Q advert has aired compared with the same period last year – from 16,660 to 20,000.
While fixing bungled DIY jobs has long been the “bread and butter” for professional builders, it said the ongoing need for emergency callouts is a “worrying trend”.
“Encouraging the nation to crack on with home improvement is an admirable message, but we need to be responsible here,” said Refaat Halawi, a builder from Grand Property Services.
“It’s something that is nearly always a job for the professionals. If you’re thinking of doing your own demolition, I’d urge you to think again – if you want to get through the job unscathed!”
Checkatrade also warns that calling in a professional to salvage a botched DIY job will add to the price of a callout, and can cost up to £3,000 depending on the property and extent of the damage.
Edmond Toska, from Design & Build Builders Ltd, added: “I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw the new B&Q ad – I’ve seen more botched DIY demolitions than B&Q sell sledgehammers.
“The risk of doing damage to yourself, your property or falling foul of building regulations is too high for amateurs.
“Demolition is high up on the DIY jobs – Don’t Do It Yourself – and I’d advise anyone looking to keep hold of their fingers to swallow their pride and call in the professionals.”
The Advertising Standards Authority said it was not investigating the B&Q advert, but it had received four complaints about it, with two complainants arguing that it encourages dangerous behaviour without expertise.
A spokesman for B&Q said: “Our hope with B&Q’s You Can Do It campaign was to help inspire confidence to those embarking on their DIY journeys – by the sound of things it has been very successful!”
