ASA Adjudication on E-Cig Ltd

A poster for e-cigarettes showed a woman blowing vapor into a man’s face with the claim “SMOKING, REDEFINED”. The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) ruled that the ad was irresponsible because it could be confused with traditional tobacco smoking. The ASA found that the ad relied heavily on imagery associated with tobacco smoking and that viewers, especially children, may mistakenly believe that the product was a tobacco cigarette. The ASA ordered the ad not to appear again in its current form and ordered that the company should not indirectly promote tobacco smoking in the future. 

ASA Adjudication on E-Cig Ltd, Complaint Ref: A14-278009 (2014).

  • United Kingdom
  • Nov 12, 2014
  • Advertising Standards Authority
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Parties

Plaintiff Unidentified complainants

Defendant E-Cig Ltd t/a Neo e-cigarette

Legislation Cited

Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP) Code, Edition 12, Rule 1.3 (Responsible advertising)

Related Documents

Type of Litigation

Tobacco Control Topics

Substantive Issues

Type of Tobacco Product

"[I]rrespective of whether consumers recognised that the product was an e-cigarette, because the ad adopted imagery associated with tobacco smoking and presented it in a glamorous and aspirational way, we considered that it indirectly promoted tobacco smoking. Because we considered the ad did not make sufficiently clear that the product was an e-cigarette and, by appropriating the imagery of tobacco smoking and presenting it in a positive light, indirectly promoted tobacco smoking, we concluded that it was irresponsible."