Nicotinell ad ‘glamorises’ smoking

Nicotinell, the nicotine patch for people who want to give up smoking, has been accused of glamorising smoking in its latest television ad campaign.

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has received a number of complaints that the execution, featuring moody shots of a young woman smoking for almost the whole ad, makes smoking look glamorous.

The ad, created by agency Euro RSCG, has a voiceover ending with the words: “Lose the smoke. Keep the fire”.

A Novartis spokeswoman says that the company undertook extensive research before launching the campaign and that it felt the overall effect of the ad on smokers would be positive. The ad was cleared by regulatory body BACC before it was aired.

The ASA has also had more than 50 complaints about the latest TV ad for Nike. It shows footage of a runner who vomits over himself. The ASA is considering an investigation.

⢠The ASA has rejected complaints about an Evening Standard ad for brewer Shepherd Neame’s Spitfire ale, which featured a strip cartoon of a football match with the title, The road to Berlin. The cartoon, which referred to the “Bottle of Britain”, showed a French referee collaborating with a German team to help them win the game. Complainants said the ad trivialised the Second World War, was racist and was likely to encourage violent behaviour towards German people. The ASA disagreed, although it acknowledged that the ad was tasteless.