ASA Adjudication on Must Have Ltd

Two television ads for e-cigarettes featured a close-up of a woman’s face while using an e-cigarette and exhaling vapor. In response to nearly 200 complaints, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) investigated the ads and found that they indirectly promoted the use of tobacco products because the ads created a strong association with traditional tobacco smoking and presented the product in a sultry and glamorous way. In response to other complaints, the ASA found that the ads were not likely to cause offense as overtly sexual, the ads did not appeal to minors, and the ads did not encourage the use of e-cigarettes. The ASA ordered the ad not to appear in its current form.

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ASA Adjudication on Must Have Ltd., Complaint Ref: A14-284650 (2014).

  • United Kingdom
  • Dec 24, 2014
  • Advertising Standards Authority

Parties

Plaintiff

  • 187 unidentified viewers
  • Action on Smoking and Health (ASH)
  • Association of Directors of Public Health UK (ADPH)
  • British Medical Association (BMA)
  • Director of Public Health, Sheffield City Council (DPH Sheffield)
  • North East Lincolnshire Health and Wellbeing Board
  • North Lincolnshire Smokefree Alliance
  • UK Health Forum
  • Vale of York Clinical Commission Group

Defendant Must Have Ltd t/a VIP Electronic Cigarettes

Legislation Cited

Committee of Advertising Practice Broadcast (BCAP) Code, Rule 33.1, 33.3, 33.8 (Electronic cigarettes)

Committee of Advertising Practice Broadcast (BCAP) Code, Rule 4.2 (Harm and Offense)

Related Documents

Type of Litigation

Tobacco Control Topics

Substantive Issues

Type of Tobacco Product