M&S ad banned by ASA, but ASOS ad complaint not upheld
Upholding a complaint, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) ruled the model 'appeared unhealthily thin', concluding that the ad was 'irresponsible.'
It said: 'The pose of the model and the choice of clothing meant the ad gave the impression that the model was unhealthily thin'.
It therefore violated the CAP code, which states'marketing communications must be prepared with a sense of responsibility to consumers and to society.'
The ASA received four complaints about various M&S images but upheld only one and banned its use in the retail giant's app.
M&S said its inclusive womenswear clothing represented a full spectrum of sizes, ranging from eight to 24, adding that it took concerns about the depiction of body image in its ads 'very seriously'.
It has since amended the ads and removed the specific images.
In a separate complaint about the use of another 'unhealthy model' in an ad, the ASA has cleared online fashion giant ASOS of any wrong-doing.
An in-app ad for a dress, seen on 1 April and featuring a model wearing a dress with spaghetti straps and a low V-shaped neckline, received complaints that the image of the model was deemed 'unhealthily thin' and challenging whether the ad was irresponsible.
But under the CAP Code (Edition 12) rule 1.3 (Responsible advertising), the ASA did not find the image was in breach of the rules.
ASOS said it 'recognised [its] responsibility to both consumers and society and did not consider the ad to be irresponsible or in breach of the CAP Code'.
It said all models booked by ASOS 'were measured according to specific industry standard guidelines during casting. [We] collaborate with reputable model agencies worldwide to ensure that all models were healthy and regularly reviewed a model's measurements to maintain those standards'.
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