The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) held a virtual event bringing together regulators, advertisers and specialty leaders to explore health-related advertising concerns on October 1.
Opening the event was ASA chair, baroness Nicky Morgan, who emphasised the importance of ensuring health advertising is legal, honest, truthful and supported by appropriate evidence. She highlighted the sector’s particular responsibility, given its potential impact on physical health, emotional wellbeing and safety.
Keynote speaker Dr Xand Van Tulleken examined the rapidly expanding wellness field, highlighting the gap between scientific evidence, marketing claims and patient beliefs. He raised concerns about multivitamins, collagen and menopause supplements, stressing the need for greater transparency and evidence-based marketing to protect patient trust.
The summit also launched new ASA patient research and its latest Pulse report, analysing more than 309,000 health-related advertisements across Google, Meta, TikTok and website display advertising over four weeks. Findings identified significant compliance risks, particularly in baby colic and reflux advertising, where 59% of ads assessed were classified as high risk, followed by mushroom supplements at 53%. Women’s hormonal health advertising also raised concerns, with 83% of ads categorised as medium risk.
Recurring issues included unsupported medicinal claims, exaggerated transformations, misleading medical imagery and the exploitation of vulnerable consumers. A panel discussion explored how businesses, regulators and digital platforms can collaborate to improve standards and consumer protection.
CEO of the ASA, Guy Parker, commented, “We’re concerned about misleading and irresponsible ads that exploit people’s insecurities or promote unproven treatments. That’s why we’re using technology to monitor existing and emerging issues and identify the most harmful, acting where ads break the rules. As people’s demand for products, treatments and procedures grows, that booming sector cannot come at the expense of responsible advertising. Protecting people better means advertisers, agencies, platforms, media and regulators working ever more closely together.”