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Hair Loss News Archives
May 2007
Firm rapped over Warne hair-loss ad
An Australian firm has been criticised by Britain's advertising watchdog for
misleading consumers in an advert for hair-loss treatment featuring cricketer
Shane Warne.
In its weekly adjudications the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) upheld one
complaint that the offending advert could give customers the wrong impression
that the product on offer could actively re-grow hair.
The
national press advertisement from Advanced Hair Studio (AHS) featured the Aussie
cricket legend with the caption "Advanced hair, yeah, yeah!"
Next to this image and caption a longer testimony from Warne said: "I've been
hearing it for years but to me I've always taken it as 'warning'. And that
warning is – if I didn't do something about my fine and thin hair they could
well be chanting 'baldy!'
"So see Advanced Hair Studio... and your hair will be looking better than ever.
Don't wait until it's too late, get your free advanced hair check and heed the
Warne-ing today!"
The complaint upheld by the ASA challenged whether the advert had implied Warne
had exclusively used the product in question, AHS-FP, to "treat his fine and
thin hair" and ensure that the crowd had no reason to chant baldy".
In its defence AHS stated that the advertisement made no explicit claims to
re-grow hair, suggesting the complainant was confused over different products on
offer.
But the ASA said that "readers could infer that the AHS-FP had resulted in the
slowing down or stopping of hair loss and/or the re-growth of Warne's hair",
noting that AHS had no evidence to show its product could stop or reverse hair
loss.
The ASA added that the advert had breached three clauses of the Committee of
Advertising Practise code.
"If Shane Warne [is] used in future ads for AHS-FP, the ad should do no more
than suggest that the advertised treatment had a cosmetic effect," the watchdog
said in conclusion.
AHS has now had five complaints upheld against its non-broadcast adverts since
2002.