Ten Motives e-cigarette ad banned over unsubstantiated claims
The Advertising Standards Authority has moved to ban an advert for Ten Motives e-cigarettes following a ruling that its claim to be a ‘healthier smoking alternative’ was unsubstantiated.
A leaflet produced by the brand backed up its purported health benefits by saying it lacked any tar or the 4,000 cancerous toxins and carcinogens found in standard cigarettes. Ten Motives further cited a briefing notice from public health charity Ash that read: “people smoke for nicotine but they die from tar.”
The ASA dismissed these arguments however, stating that such claims were misleading as they did not substantiate the specific effect of this particular brand of e-cigarette.
As a result the ad has been banned and cannot be reproduced in its current form.