ASA rebukes Avon for false eyelash advertising claims
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has criticised Avon for using false eyelashes to exaggerate the effect of its mascara just weeks after it slammed L’Oréal for the using the same tactic.
The regulator challenged the misleading claim that the product made “lashes appear to be 65% longer”.
In July, the ASA upheld complaints against a campaign starring Penelope Cruz for L’Oréal’s Telescopic mascara. In the absence of a disclaimer stating that Cruz was wearing individual false lashes, the ads were upheld as misleading (MW July 26).
Avon defended the ad, saying it believed that the use of false eyelashes in cosmetics advertising is a global, standard technique. The ASA has ruled that Avon cannot use the strapline in further ads.
The ASA has not upheld complaints against a TV campaign for Coca-Cola-owned brand Oasis drink. The ad features a herd of wildebeest drinking at a watering hole. Then a crocodile leaps out and eats one of the animals. A voiceover said: “For people who don’t like water, there’s the chuggable fruitiness of Oasis.”
A complainant said that the ad, which was created by Mother, was irresponsible because it could discourage viewers, particularly children, from drinking water.
The ASA said the ad, which had a time restriction on it to prevent it from being aired around children’s TV programmes, was humorous and light-hearted.
