A television ad featured a group of adults discussing e-cigarettes, with one stating, “I used to smoke normal cigarettes but after I quit, I tried these.” The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) ruled that the ad violated the country’s Advertising Code as irresponsible because it encouraged non-smokers to begin using e-cigarettes. The ASA noted that the ad implied that the man who spoke had stopped smoking for a period of time and was therefore a non-smoker who had subsequently begun using the company’s e-cigarettes. The ASA ordered that the ad should not appear again in its current form.
ASA Adjudication on Vape Nation Ltd, Complaint Ref: A14-284845 (2014).
Limitations regarding the use of quotes The quotes provided here reflect statements from a specific decision. Accordingly, the International Legal Consortium (ILC) cannot guarantee that an appellate court has not reversed a lower court decision which may influence the applicability or influence of a given quote. All quotes have been selected based on the subjective evaluations undertaken by the ILC meaning that quotes provided here may not accurately or comprehensively represent a given court’s opinion or conclusion, as such quotes may have originally appeared alongside other negative opinions or accompanying facts. Further, some quotes are derived from unofficial English translations, which may alter their original meaning. We emphasize the need to review the original decision and related decisions before authoritatively relying on quotes. Using quotes provided here should not be construed as legal advice and is not intended to be a substitute for legal counsel on any subject matter in any jurisdiction. Please see the full limitations at https://www.tobaccocontrollaws.org/about.
"[O]ne of the first comments made was “I used to smoke normal cigarettes, but after I quit, I tried these”. We considered that, had it portrayed the man who had exchanged his normal cigarettes for e-cigarettes, the content of the ad would have been acceptable. However, we believed consumers were likely to understand that the man who spoke that line had stopped smoking for a period of time and was therefore a non-smoker who had subsequently taken up using KiK e-cigarettes. We considered that the man’s statement could encourage non-smokers to take up using e-cigarettes and we therefore concluded the ad was irresponsible."
Limitations regarding the use of quotes The quotes provided here reflect statements from a specific decision. Accordingly, the International Legal Consortium (ILC) cannot guarantee that an appellate court has not reversed a lower court decision which may influence the applicability or influence of a given quote. All quotes have been selected based on the subjective evaluations undertaken by the ILC meaning that quotes provided here may not accurately or comprehensively represent a given court’s opinion or conclusion, as such quotes may have originally appeared alongside other negative opinions or accompanying facts. Further, some quotes are derived from unofficial English translations, which may alter their original meaning. We emphasize the need to review the original decision and related decisions before authoritatively relying on quotes. Using quotes provided here should not be construed as legal advice and is not intended to be a substitute for legal counsel on any subject matter in any jurisdiction. Please see the full limitations at https://www.tobaccocontrollaws.org/about.
A television ad featured a group of adults discussing e-cigarettes, with one stating, “I used to smoke normal cigarettes but after I quit, I tried these.” The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) ruled that the ad violated the country’s Advertising Code as irresponsible because it encouraged non-smokers to begin using e-cigarettes. The ASA noted that the ad implied that the man who spoke had stopped smoking for a period of time and was therefore a non-smoker who had subsequently begun using the company’s e-cigarettes. The ASA ordered that the ad should not appear again in its current form.