CoverGirl Withdraws 'Enhanced' Taylor Swift Ad
Theres a certain Taylor Swift ad for CoverGirl mascara that you wont be seeing in American magazines any time soon.
In the ad, for CoverGirl NatureLuxe Mousse Mascara, Ms. Swifts eyelashes have been enhanced after the fact to look even fuller, and, as a result, the National Advertising Division of the Council of Better Business Bureaus ruled this month that it was misleading.
In response, Procter & Gamble, the owner of the CoverGirl brand, permanently discontinued all of the challenged claims and the photograph in its advertisement, the ruling said.
In a statement, Procter & Gamble said: Our scientists work very closely with our advertising teams to ensure that benefits are accurately portrayed, and P&Gs policy is to feature visuals and claims that accurately reflect these benefits. As soon as we were aware that the N.A.D. had concerns, we voluntarily discontinued the advertising a move that the N.A.D. itself regarded as entirely proper.
This is the first time the advertising division has brought a claim like this against a cosmetics company, said Linda Bean, a spokeswoman for the advertising group.
In Britain over the summer, similar claims were made against LOral by the countrys Advertising Standards Authority. The British authority asserted that makeup ads featuring the actress Julia Roberts and the supermodel Christy Turlington were misleading. After the complaints, the ads were withdrawn from print publications.
In the Procter & Gamble case, the advertising division looked at! both th e express claims made in the ad and what was being implied, Ms. Bean said. The express claims were that the mascara would give eyelashes 2x more volume and that the product was 20 percent lighter than the most expensive mascara.
But, she added: The photograph stands as a product demonstration. Your eyelashes will look like this if you use this product.
The fine print under a photo of Ms. Swift read that the lashes had been enhanced in post production.
Andrea C. Levine, a lawyer who worked on the case and who is the director of the National Advertising Division, said on Wednesday: This isnt a question of airbrushing. Its a question of actually demonstrating what your lashes will look like when you use this product.
Lawyers at the advertising division routinely scour print publications, broadcast, television and social media to find misleading advertisements. They also help settle claims of misleading advertising that competing companies bring against each other.
The rule is that an advertising has to be truthful, accurate and not misleading, Ms. Levine said. What the picture says, the small type cant take it away.