After what feels like years of grey, we finally have had a bit of SUN. And its golden rays are shedding light on Sun Awareness Week (12th-18th May) which aims to draw attention to the dangers of sun exposure and promote sun safety. To celebrate this important week, we’ve curated a trio of sun-focused rulings from across the sectors to give you some advertising advice – so get on your Factor 50 and read our solariffic article!
Don’t get burnt
Our first ruling directly addresses sun safety, in that its about sunscreen. In 2024, the ASA investigated a TV ad for No7 Future Renew Serum, which featured two women reminiscing about the past - “Remember this? Can’t believe we didn’t always use sunscreen!”… “I know right? We were too busy having fun”. The ad also featured the claims, “Clinically proven to reverse visible signs of sun damage” and “Don’t regret, just reverse”. Though the ASA acknowledged the tone of the ad was light-hearted, the flippant discussion on sun safety suggested it was a subject that could be taken lightly. They also thought the ad suggested any damage could be undone by the product. The ASA concluded the ad condoned exposure to sun without protection and was therefore irresponsible and harmful. You can read the full ruling here and our advice on Sunscreen here. Marketers should remember that they should never discourage safe practices in their ads, including sun safety.
No shade intended
Our next ruling is about your friend and mine, solar panels. Last year, the ASA investigated a radio ad for solar panels from energy company EDF which stated “Your electricity bill could be nil. Yep, nothing. Because when you install solar panels and a battery with EDF, you don’t just get electricity when it’s sunny, you can store it for a rainy day too… potential zero pound bills.…”. Seven complainants challenged whether the ad was misleading because they believed the solar panels and battery would not generate and store enough power to provide electricity during the winter months.
In this instance, EDF said they intended the ad to say that electricity generated while it was sunny could be stored for use on another, less sunny, day, and there was nothing in the ad that implied the electricity stored would be sufficient to meet months’ worth of usage during the darker months. However, the ASA thought the claim “rainy day” was like to be interpreted as a general period of less sun, and consumers would understand from the ad that any given monthly electricity bill could be reduced to nil, since any short fall in power generated by the panels on darker days would be met by the energy stored in the battery. As such, the ad was considered misleading (you can read the full ruling here).
Whilst the ASA will always acknowledge the intention of an advertiser, they ultimately have to view the ad through the lens of the average consumer (See ‘Consumers’ here for more information on the ‘average consumer’). It’s therefore worth thinking about how your ad will be received, rather than just thinking about what you want to say.
Vitamin D(on’t make false health claims)
Our last sun ruling is about a Facebook post for sunbeds. The marketer claimed sunbeds could, “Strengthen your immune system the natural way … health benefits from sunlight are enormous and crucial to life on earth … Sunlight creates a hydrophilic action in your capillaries to move your blood round the body, important if you have heart disease … Vitamin D3 may help strengthen your immune system… May improve brain function and production of Serotonin and melatonin and may help with alzheimer’s. Plus you look better and feel better”.
The advertiser provided evidence for the claims in the form of online videos – however, the ASA found the health benefits were all attributed to natural sunlight in the videos, rather than sunbeds. Given this, and the fact that the NHS’s advice stating that sunbeds might increase the risk of developing skin cancer and emitted large amount of UV rays, the ASA concluded the claims were not substantiated, and the ad was misleading and irresponsible. You can read the full ruling here. Whilst the ASA will always come to its own decision, it will often take into account advice from official bodies such as the NHS, the World Health Organisation and other organisations where relevant.
And that’s a triple ray of rulings and triple exposure to some illuminating advice! But if you’re not ready for the aftersun yet, remember our Copy Advice team are on hand to bring some sunshine (er… advice!) to your campaigns.
More on
-
Keep up to date
Sign up to our rulings, newsletters and emargoed access for Press. Subscribe now.
