Rimmel London, a subsidiary of US beauty beauty multinational Coty, landed in hot water for suggesting in an advert that to succeed in school, its necessary to wear makeup at school.
The brand’s Facebook advert stated “Get ready to slay this back-to-school season. Get 25 percent off Multi-Tasker Concealer and other Rimmel faves…” And this was backed by a video of former Love Island star Lana Jenkins applying makeup.
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) took action after two people complained that the ad was irresponsible for suggesting that girls were only ready for a new school year if they wore makeup. The advertising watchdog ruled that Rimmel London’s advert must not appear again because it had the effect of playing on young girls’ insecurities about their appearance.
But the brand said the campaign in no way communicated a need to wear makeup, but rather focused on trending makeup looks. Rimmel London said its campaign was targeted at the 18-35 age group and its internal guidelines highlighted that it did not market to children.
The brand added that the wording ‘Get ready to slay this back-to-school season’ was intended to motivate and build confidence, not prey on young girls’ insecurities. However, ASA said the words ‘back-to-school season’ would primarily be understood by viewers as referring to the time of the year when students returned to senior school or sixth form college after the summer break and would appeal to them.
Also Read: More US Media Spend Should Be Allocated to OOH: Report
