Tesco’s Mel B poster stopped right now after Spice Girl complains of image use
Tesco has removed a poster featuring Melanie Brown from its Clubcard Plus campaign after the Spice Girl demanded to speak to chief executive Dave Lewis over the use of her image.
Mel B demanded to speak to Tesco boss Dave Lewis on Instagram today
Brown, aka Mel B, took to Instagram today (11 November) in a state of apparent confusion over why her photograph, captioned with ‘Stop right now. You get 10% off two big shops a month for £7.99’, was being used to promote Tesco Clubcard Plus, the brand’s latest loyalty scheme.
“Can the CEO of @tescofood Dave Lewis please contact me urgently,” she posted as the caption.
Brown’s agent signed a contract authorising the use of the image in question, according to Tesco. The company also argued the photograph was purchased legally from Getty Images.
The link to the photo sent to The Drum, however, linked to Getty’s editorial library and not its asset hub for creatives.
Tesco said it has now taken the creative out of circulation after Brown’s Instagram post garnered headlines.
“Here at Tesco we are really big fans of Mel B and were excited to feature her photo in our campaign,” a spokesperson said. “We had authorisation to use this image, but we’re sorry Mel B is unhappy and so we’ve stopped using it.”
The wider Clubcard Plus campaign also features other pop culture idols such as Morecambe and Wise and Casablanca’s Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman.
The company did not reply to The Drum's requests for information on which agency produced the work.
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Tesco plc, trading as Tesco, is a British multinational grocery and general merchandise retailer with headquarters in Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, England, United Kingdom.
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