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Ad for slimming tablets banned after complaint it showed women who were too thin

The ASAI said that the ad mustn’t be shown in its current form again.

AN AD FOR slimming tablets has been banned after a complaint that the women in the ad looked too thin and young.

The ad for XLS Medical Max Strength (below in a French version) shows a young woman who receives a photograph of her friend and chats to her about how she lost weight before her holidays.

A female voiceover says:

“Take new XLS Medical Max Strength to reduce calorie intake from carbohydrates, sugar and fat. So you can lose weight faster.”

Willems Michael / YouTube

The complainant contacted the Advertising Standards Authority of Ireland (ASAI) to say that the models were young girls and both were very thin.

She was concerned that the use of such models could lead teenagers to believe that they should lose weight when they did not need to do so.

She also noted that the advertisers’ website stated that the product was for people with a BMI of 18.5 or over.

In response, the advertisers said that XLS Medical Max Strength was a Type 11b medical device certified under the EU Medical Device Directive 93/42/EEC for general weight management and the prevention and treatment of excess weight and general weight management.

They said that the advertising in question had been subjected to rigorous checks, prior to airing, to support the use of the product and the messaging regarding responsible weight management.

The advertisers confirmed that the actresses featured were over 18 years of age.

One of the women was 24 years old at the time of filming and the second woman was 29 years old at the time of filming, and both had a BMI of greater than 19.

xls ad YouTube YouTube

The advertisers said that the product was not recommended to those aged 18 or under, unless under the supervision of a healthcare professional, “and therefore the advertising was not targeted at a young audience nor had it been placed in or around programmes which had an appeal to young people”.

They said their product was not recommended to those with a BMI of less than 18.5, under any circumstances, and this information was stated clearly both on the pack and the leaflet of the product, and also on their website as indicated by the complainant.

The advertisers said they take their responsibilities “very seriously” in advertising their products for weight management. They said they always focus on promoting a healthy body image and lifestyle, while also ensuring consumers “are best equipped with all the relevant information to ensure that they use the products in a healthy and sensible fashion”.

Of the concerns that the models featured were of ‘normal weight’ and therefore the advertising was in breach of Section 9.5 of the Code, the advertisers said that:

before airing the television advertisement, they had edited the appearance of the model in order to make her appear to have a BMI of 25 and that after using the product, she then obtained a healthy BMI.

The complaint was upheld. The ASAI’s complaint committee noted the age of the actors involved in the advertising and did not consider that they appeared to be young girls.

They referred to Section 9.5 of the Code which required that “A marketing communication should not suggest that persons of normal weight need to slim”.

While they noted that actress B had been enhanced to portray what the advertisers considered to be a woman with a BMI of 25 or over, the committee did not consider that the enhancement had shown a woman with a BMI of 25 or over. In the circumstances, the committee considered that a woman of ‘normal weight’ had been featured which was in breach of Section 9.5 of the Code.

The advertising should not run in its current form again, said the committee.

Read: A bar’s ‘Bottomless Prosecco’ deal is among three ads given a slap on the wrist>

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32 Comments
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    Mute Kerry Blake
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    May 14th 2012, 1:34 PM

    Wow the fiscal compact is sure doing it’s job of steadying the financial markets…….

    71
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    Mute limofax
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    May 14th 2012, 1:43 PM

    Must have heard that FG mayor Jim Keogh says No!

    55
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    Mute Shayno ZO
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    May 14th 2012, 1:48 PM

    Spain has set up a government backed fund to recapitalize their banks with a interest rate of 10% making their citizens a profit and not handcuffing the country! we really need to get a grip here, our politicians have no business acumen.

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    Mute Ronala
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    May 14th 2012, 2:51 PM

    They have, it is just that they prefer to put the people at the top above the interests of the people and economy overall.

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    Mute Senan Kelly
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    May 14th 2012, 3:26 PM

    But the banks will simply hike charges and borrow the rest with emergency leanding from the ECB to pay the interest.
    Spain is following Irelands piss poor policy of slowly socialising bank debts which is what this amounts too.

    The only difference between us and Spain is simply that Spain is too big to bailout and conversly too big to fail. Something has and will give.

    A default and Euro exit of Greece is all but a certainty now. All of these recent events mean the Fiscal Treaty is a total waste of time and money.

    The Debt Monster in Europe is about the stir once again and this time it is not going to be pretty.

    In a few months this treaty will be looked back on as a complete red herring as all the above events will show.

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    Mute Senan Kelly
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    May 14th 2012, 3:33 PM

    Shayno is not entirely correct.

    The Banks cant afford to pay this Interest. So they will hike up bank charges which hits the consumer.
    The Banks in Spain have also been getting billions in emergency funding from the ECB at very low rates ~1%.
    They use this money to buy Spanish bonds which are paying out at 3/4% which they then use to shore up there balance sheets.
    Basically they are socialisng their Bank Debt.

    Except this cant go on forever and Spain is simply too big to bailout and conversly too big to fail.

    This Euro Debt Crisis is about to get nasty.

    A Greek default and Exit is not going to be pretty and will be very bad for Ireland.

    This Treaty is a complete red herring.

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    Mute Liam Ó Broin
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    May 14th 2012, 1:48 PM

    I’m confused. When the time comes, who bails out Planet Earth? I think the Martians will see us as bad investment. After that, who else do we have? Mercurians maybe? :P

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    Mute limofax
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    May 14th 2012, 1:56 PM

    They got their fingers burnt years ago

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    Mute Liam Ó Broin
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    May 14th 2012, 7:01 PM

    Us Earthlings are a frivolous bunch aren’t we!? :P

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    Mute Ryan oneill
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    May 14th 2012, 2:06 PM

    The tide has turned and ‘the markets’ are now betting on the end of the euro, a risky investment but one that yields more profit. Spain is to big to bailout when they go it’s bye bye euro and the snakes in suits profiteer from it.

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    Mute somethingodd
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    May 14th 2012, 2:00 PM

    we really do need to vote no until there is some stability, at which point, then it would make sense to bring in rules but can’t do this in such uncertain times

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    Mute Shanners
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    May 14th 2012, 2:06 PM

    300 quid wiped off my fund for euro 2012 with that drop in share price this morning. Would Greece ever cop on for themselves, they are letting everyone down!

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    Mute Ronala
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    May 14th 2012, 2:47 PM

    If you think that an economy that is as small and insignificant as Greece is causing all this problems, then you are going to have a harsh few years ahead.

    The Euro is the problem. Greece is just a basket case economy, that is stuck in that problem.

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    Mute Dmc
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    May 14th 2012, 6:14 PM

    This crisis is a big scam to acquire more assets and make certain powers even more powerful!

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    Mute Yamonpat Yoddee
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    May 14th 2012, 3:56 PM

    It’s such a mess, all these countrys people want to stay in the euro , big country’s got to help the small countrys and they gain in currency rates for exports the German people understand this.. It’ can be cleaned up if the will was there from all euro country’s

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    Mute El Cheebo
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    May 14th 2012, 3:38 PM

    Timber!!!!!!!!!!!!

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