1.  Not upheld

The ASA noted the ad described the content of the upcoming edition of OK! magazine and considered that the voice-over presented the statement "TOWIE's Lauren speaks for the first time about aborting Mark's baby" in a sing-song voice which represented the "gossip" style of the magazine and its brand.  We understood that some viewers would consider the overall tone of the ad and the voice-over to be sensationalist and would find the presentation of the abortion story to be distasteful. However, we considered that the majority of viewers would understand that, regardless of their own personal opinions on the subject itself, the presentation of the 'celebrity' story reflected the content of the gossip magazine and that it was not addressing a moral argument for or against the subject of abortion. We therefore concluded that the ad was not irresponsible and that it was unlikely to cause serious or widespread offence.  

On this point we investigated the ads under BCAP rules 1.2 (Social responsibility) 4.1 and 4.2 (Harm and offence) but did not find them in breach.

2. Not upheld

We noted the ad had been given an ex-kids timing restriction, which meant it should not be shown on dedicated children's channels, or in or around those programmes on other channels made for, or specifically targeted at, children. We considered that that restriction was sufficient to keep the ad away from times when younger children were likely to be watching TV alone. We did not consider that the ad needed to be kept away from times when older children would be watching TV, and therefore concluded that the ex-kids timing restriction that had been imposed was sufficient.  

On this point we investigated the ad under BCAP Code rules 1.2 (Social responsibility) and 32.3 (Scheduling restrictions) but did not find it in breach.