L'Oréal Ads Get Banned for 'Misleading' Touch-Ups

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By: Dwayne W. Waite Jr.

The British advertising watchdog, the Advertising Standards Authority, yesterday upheld a complaint filed by a government official and ruled that the ads that were run by L'Oréal featuring actress Julia Roberts and supermodel Christy Turlington were "misleading and unrepresentative of actual effects" and were banned. The campaigns were for L'Oréal-owned brands Lancôme and Maybelline.

Roberts' ad touted that the product makes skin shine in a natural light, while Turlington's ad claimed that the product was able to reduce signs of anti-aging, and it showed her face with only some of the product on so consumers could tell the difference.

L'Oréal UK responded and said that although the ads were touched up to be made lighter, remove shadows and shades, darken eyebrows, and clean up makeup, the advertisements themselves did not take away or alter the effects of the products. The brand even showed ASA red carpet pictures of the two women to show that they are naturally stunning, and that the editing of the photos would have reflected that as well.

This is an interesting situation, for there are several themes in contention here. First is "truth in advertising." Did the watchdog really catch L'Oréal being misleading? Second is "responsibility in advertising." Did L'Oréal have any previous inkling to believe that its ads may mislead its consumers? And finally, but most importantly, we have "responsibility of the consumer." Are consumers doing their due diligence and gathering information about the products and services they buy in order to be informed enough to know whether an ad is not telling the whole truth?

Ad Rants' Steve Hall brings up a great point about humans' need to constantly achieve, and advertising being a vehicle for it. We all want to look, feel, and be better. When does our want to achieve become unrealistic? And it is advertising's fault for attempting to influence those desires?

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About the Author

Dwayne W. Waite Jr. is partner and principal at JDW: The Charlotte Agency, a marketing and advertising shop in Charlotte, NC. He enjoys consumer behavior, economics, and football.

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