Entrepreneur, podcaster and Dragon’s Den host Steven Bartlett has landed himself in hot water with the Advertising Standards Authority.
On Wednesday morning, the ASA announced it was banning two different ad campaigns featuring Bartlett, after ruling it was not made sufficiently clear he was an investor of both of the companies.
The first related to a paid-for ad on Facebook for the healthcare brand Zoe, while the second were social media ads for the supplement company Huel.
After upholding all of the relevant complaints, the ASA said on their website: “Marketing communications must not mislead the consumer by omitting material information. Material information was information that the consumer needed to make informed decisions in relation to a product.”
“Because the ads omitted material information about Steven Bartlett’s position as a [investor in Zoe and director at Huel], we concluded they were likely to mislead,” they concluded in both cases.
“If you’re endorsing a product and have a stake in the company, it’s crucial to be upfront with people,” the ASA later wrote on its official X page. “Keeping ads clear and honest is key – people need to know when there’s a vested interest.”
The ASA has made headlines on several occasions in recent history as the result of rulings about ad campaigns featuring several different celebrities.
Just last week, the organisation issued a ban on a sponsored social media post made by reality star Gemma Collins for the Flow Neuroscience AB device, a headset which advertises itself as a “non-invasive depression treatment.
“Ads must not offer treatment for depression unless that treatment was conducted under the supervision of a suitably qualified health professional,” they explained at the time.
