ASA stands against complaints about Dove’s body image awareness campaign

How can advertisers approach campaigns on potentially sensitive topics such as the effect of social media on young people’s body image?

The question

How can advertisers approach campaigns on potentially sensitive topics such as the effect of social media on young people’s body image? 

The key takeaway

The ASA did not uphold complaints about an emotive ad campaign raising awareness of the impact of social media on mental health in young people. Despite the ad’s potentially upsetting content, the ASA held that Dove had approached the topic responsibly and had limited the likelihood of young children viewing the ads. 

The background

In June and July 2023, Unilever ran a TV and video on-demand advertising campaign in support of their brand, Dove, and their Self-Esteem Project initiative. This initiative was to raise awareness of the impact of social media on a range of mental health conditions, with the ads in question focusing on body image issues.

The long-form ad began with a disclaimer reading “Sensitive Content. The following film features real stories about body appearance that may be upsetting to some viewers”. This was followed by home videos of a real person, “Mary”, taken during her childhood. The videos showed various scenes of Mary suffering from body image issues caused by social media, leading up to scenes of her in hospital in an Eating Disorder Unit with an IV drip. This was followed by on-screen text stating “The cost of toxic beauty content is greater than we think” and “Mary in recovery from an eating disorder”. Finally, a group of young women were shown in recovery from a variety of mental health conditions such as self-harm and depression, with the on-screen text “Social media is harming the mental health of 1 in 2 Kids. Join us to protect their mental health. 2023 Dove Self-Esteem Project Research for Kids Mental Health”.

The ads received 136 complaints from the public that the ads were irresponsible and distressing, in particular to those affected by the issues portrayed, and were inappropriate for children to see. Some also challenged whether the ads where appropriate to be shown during the TV program Love Island, which had been specifically targeted.

The development

Unilever’s response to the complaints pointed out the background to the ad’s creation, which involved consulting a range of relevant experts, charities and focus groups. The content warning was added as a result of that consultation, and Unilever were satisfied that they had approached a difficult subject in a sensitive manner. 

The ASA held that a content warning would not necessarily remove the potential for the ads to cause distress. It also found that the content of the ads was emotive and could cause significant emotional impact, both to sufferers of the conditions referenced and to a wider audience. However, it also noted that the ads aimed to raise awareness of the issues and provide support to sufferers. This message was likely to be understood by viewers and the ads were unlikely to encourage copy-cat behaviour. Therefore, the ads were deemed not irresponsible and not likely to cause unjustifiable distress.
Unilever had also taken steps to avoid children seeing the ads, which the ASA felt may have been upsetting to them. It had requested that the long-form ad not be shown before 9pm, and the short form not before 6pm, as well as manually reviewing the surrounding programming to ensure it was appropriate. Clearcast did not apply the timing request strictly, but the ASA was satisfied that Unilever’s clear efforts were sufficient. 

Finally, the ASA noted that Love Island was broadcast after 9pm and had been chosen by Unilever because the show had been at the centre of relevant cultural debates, meaning the audience was likely to directly understand the themes of the ad. It was not inappropriate to place the ads during Love Island.

Why is this important?

This case is a reminder of just how much care is needed for campaigns dealing with highly sensitive topics. Equally, how a carefully judged campaign aimed at raising awareness of an issue and directing those affected to support can be allowed on air despite being potentially distressing to the audience.

Any practical tips?

Advertisers looking to address sensitive topics should approach them with extreme care and be sure not to seem to encourage unsafe behaviour. The content of the ad itself is critical (content warnings alone may not be enough), as well as paying close attention to when the ads are shown including the surrounding programming. Discussing proposed ads with relevant experts, charities and focus groups to ensure they hit the right balance is also key. 

Winter 2023