Whilst many different rhetorical tricks and techniques are used to showcase a product in the best possible light in marketing campaigns, the golden rule is to always be honest.
This is especially true in pharmacy digital marketing, where making a claim without proof can have significant consequences, particularly when that claim is in relation to health and well-being.
With that in mind, here are some controversial adverts, many of which were banned that highlight the importance of being honest with customers.
Protein World’s Beach Body Ready Adverts
The fitness supplement company Protein World loved to court controversy with its advertising, claiming that this helps to improve sales for the relatively niche brand. One of their most infamous adverts, however, was ultimately banned but not for the reasons you may think.
The infamous “Are You Beach Body Ready” advert sparked a conversation regarding misogyny, unrealistic beauty standards and body shaming, and whilst the advert was ultimately banned, the reasons why were more procedural than this.
The ASA ultimately banned the advert not on these grounds, but instead on the unauthorised claims that the billboard, website and social media would frequently use instead.
Kellogg’s Special K
The cereal company Kellogg’s has commonly pushed the limits of its health claims when marketing its Special K cereal, and on more than a few occasions it has pushed it too far.
One example of when an authorised health claim is pushed too far was in a 2018 advert promoting the folic acid content in the cereal, claiming that it was “feeding development”.
This was seen by the ASA as exaggerating a health claim, as a bowl of Special K on its own would not provide enough folate to reduce the risk of birth defects.
Nurofen
Reckitt Benckiser’s popular brand of ibuprofen tablets has faced challenges from the ASA on many different occasions, but in one notable case, it was found to be deceptive and changed the way painkillers were marketed in the UK in the process.
At one point, Neurofen marketed a wide range of specific products that were implied to target different sources of pain, from migraines to joint pain. This is essentially impossible given how painkillers work.
The ASA ultimately agreed, banning adverts for Nurofen Joint and Back that implied that it had a special means to target back and joint pain when this was not the case.
BetterHelp
The online therapy service BetterHelp is controversial for many reasons and has had marketing backlash before. However, when advertising its services in the UK, this trouble entered another dimension.
A series of Facebook adverts got the company into trouble as the ASA claimed it could give consumers the misleading impression that it could take up to 12 months to access mental health services on the NHS, as well as ruling that it was socially irresponsible by potentially discouraging people from seeking professional help.
The company claimed that the adverts were shown internationally and exaggerated for dramatic effect, but this emphasises the critical importance of knowing where a marketing campaign will fit in a national rather than international context.