Advertising for weight-loss treatments has increased rapidly alongside growing public interest in prescription-only weight-loss medicines, including injections. But how people interpret these ads – and whether they understand them to be promoting prescription-only medicines – is not always straightforward.
This summary report highlights the key findings from independent research carried out by MTM for the ASA, focusing on what they mean in practice for advertisers.
The research shows that people often infer meaning from a combination of signals, including imagery, language, claims and overall presentation. Even where medicines are not explicitly named, these signals can lead people to believe an ad is promoting a weight-loss injection.
Ads are more likely to be seen as encouraging a purchase than prompting a conversation with a healthcare professional. Many people also feel that weight-loss advertising can create pressure, particularly for vulnerable groups, and awareness of the rules restricting the promotion of prescription-only medicines is mixed.
These findings highlight the need for advertisers to take particular care when promoting weight-loss services, ensuring their ads do not imply the availability of prescription-only medicines.
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Read the full research report for the methodology, detailed findings and supporting analysis.
How people interpret ads relating to prescription-only weight-loss medicines