What is a Reasonable Substitute?

• A. When the user indicates that they want a certain product / service from a certain brand or provider, and the ad appears to offer the same or a very similar product / service from a different brand, provider or competitor, you should generally consider this as a reasonable substitute / alternative to the queried product / service.
• B. The ad is always the same product
• C. The ad never matches the user's brand preference
• D. The ad uses a different product category

Answer: (A)

A reasonable substitute is identified when the user wants a product or service from a specific brand, and an ad offers the same or a very similar product or service from a different brand, provider, or competitor. This matches the user’s intent by presenting a functionally equivalent option, giving them a viable alternative within the same category. For example, if someone is seeking a particular brand of headphones and an ad presents a similar model from another brand, that ad serves as a reasonable substitute because it satisfies the same need with an alternative brand.

The other options don’t fit because a substitute isn’t restricted to the exact same product from the same brand, and it isn’t about intentionally avoiding brand matches or switching to an unrelated product category.