A TV ad for Yakult yoghurt drink has been banned by the UK’s advertising watchdog for implying health benefits that were not supported by an approved health claim.
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) said the ad, which was shown last year, implied general benefits of Yakult to overall good health and did not contain a relevant, authorised health claim. The ASA said the advert, therefore, breached its code.
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The ad showed an animation of a Yakult bottle skipping, tight rope walking and pole-vaulting with a voiceover stating: “At Yakult, we appreciate the importance of regular exercise routines.”
The ASA, however, said the animation, together with the claim about Lactobaillus casei Shirota reaching the gut alive and the closing statement, “Yakult. A bottle for you every day”, formed a general impression that there was a health advantage to drinking the product.
“We noted Yakult’s defence that the ad was broadcast during a time, ie the Olympic Games, when sport was a major news story. However, we did not think that the reference to the Olympic Games was particularly explicit. And even if the reference had been explicit, it did not remove the implication that there was a relationship between the product and health,” the ASA said.
It concluded that the advert could not be broadcast again.
Yakult did not return a request for comment at the time of going to press.
