Sara Spary
Mar 4, 2020

ASA bans face-mask ads over 'misleading' and 'irresponsible' coronavirus claims in UK

UK watchdog said two ads were 'misleading, irresponsible and likely to cause fear without justifiable reason'.

ASA bans face-mask ads over 'misleading' and 'irresponsible' coronavirus claims in UK

The UK Advertising Standards Authority has hit out at a series of ads marketing face masks as protection against coronavirus, calling them "misleading", "irresponsible" and "likely to cause fear".

The regulator criticised five digital ads for masks sold by Novads OU, which did not respond to the ASA.

The executions, one of which appeared on The Sottish Sun and CNN online, showed pictures of a face mask and claimed that a mask was "one of the best ways to protect yourself" against coronavirus, other viruses and pollutants.

Novads claimed that its masks were "breakthrough" and offered "unparallelled [sic] protection". In one ad, it claimed the masks could stop "94% of viruses, bacteria, chemicals, pollution, dust, pollen and smoke".

It referred to the spread of the virus as being "barely controllable" and said this was a "terrifying time".

The ASA noted in its ruling that Public Health England did not recommend the use of face masks as a means of protection from coronavirus.

It also said Novads had used "alarmist" language that was likely to "exploit people’s fears".

The watchdog continued: "Particularly in a context where the relevant public health authority had not recommended face masks as a means of the public protecting themselves from coronavirus, we considered that the ads were misleading, irresponsible and likely to cause fear without justifiable reason." 

Source:
Campaign UK

Related Articles

Just Published

13 hours ago

How smarter mobile ads are beating big-budget ...

Based on $2.4 billion in ad spend across 1,300 apps, AppsFlyer’s latest report reveals why emotional storytelling, tutorials and platform-native talent now outperform big-budget creative in mobile marketing.

13 hours ago

EssenceMediacom retains top spot in April's APAC ...

OMD holds strong in second position while Publicis' Starcom climbs the highest after retaining Dabur's media mandate.

14 hours ago

Why it’s time we took Singaporean content creators ...

Hazel Yap, co-founder of influencer marketing agency Serious Media, unpacks the business behind the buzz—arguing that content creation isn’t just Gen Z’s latest phase, but a viable career reshaping Asia’s marketing economy.

14 hours ago

Changi Airport ropes in Aussie influencers to ...

A three-part video series sees Changi Airport positioning itself as the gateway for travellers to discover Southeast Asia’s rich food culture.