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ASA E-Cigarettes

VIP e-cigarette brand hit by second ASA ruling over sexualised advert

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By Natalie Mortimer, N/A

September 24, 2014 | 2 min read

A TV ad for VIP Electronic Cigarettes has been banned for a second time by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) after it was deemed unsuitable for broadcast before 9pm.

 VIP e-cigarette hit by second ASA ruling over sexualised advert

The ad, which showed a woman seductively running her hand over her thigh was previously banned by the ASA in February after the watchdog ruled it overtly sexual and likely to cause office.

At the time VIP was told not to broadcast the ad in its current form before 11pm.

The e-cigarette brand said it had amended its advertising following the ASA findings, however a total of 86 complaints from viewers were recorded who found it unsuitable to be shown before the watershed.

VIP said it felt pre-conceived opinions about e-cigarettes had informed the complaints.

Clearcast added that there was no sexual imagery within the ad, and said that any sexual content within the ad was subtle, to the extent that young viewers were unlikely to understand it.

The ASA however said while it noted that Clearcast had applied an 'ex-kids' restriction, which meant the ad could not be shown in or adjacent to programmes commissioned or directed at children, it was concerned that the degree of sexuality in the ad was also unsuitable for older children.

It therefore concluded that to minimise the risk of children seeing it, the ad should have been given a 9 pm timing restriction.

The ad must not be broadcast again in its current form before 9 pm.

ASA E-Cigarettes

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