The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has upheld three claims against providers of overseas surgery after they were deemed to trivialise the decision to undergo surgical procedures.
These ads were identified following intelligence gathering by the ASA Active Ad Monitoring system, which uses artificial intelligence (AI) to search for online ads that might break the rules.
The first ad was disseminated in May 2023 by a company promoting surgery in Turkey. The ad stated, ‘Are you ready to unleash your inner beauty, dear friend?’ It also included an image of a slim woman holding a balloon while pointing at her stomach, with the caption ‘Get permanent beauty with Gastric Balloon.’
The ASA challenged whether references to ‘inner beauty’ and ‘permanent beauty’ were irresponsible because they exploited insecurities around body image; it also reviewed if the claim ‘permanent beauty’ was misleading regarding the effects of bariatric surgery.
After the challenge was upheld, the company did not respond, but were told that their ads must not appear in the same format and must be socially responsible so as not to exploit insecurities.
The second challenge was against another Turkish company’s ad, which said, ‘Don’t let your nose overshadow your face. Get the look you dream of with Nose Job treatment. Choose to be the greater beauty that you can be.’ It also offered 30% discounts on combined operations.
The ASA challenged whether this advert exploited body image insecurities, and applied time pressure to potential patients, thus trivialising the procedure.
After the challenge was upheld, the company did not respond, but were told that their ads must not appear in the same format and must be socially responsible so as not to make patients feel any sense of pressure in opting for surgical options.
The final challenge against another Turkish company concerned an advertisement outlining, “Rhinoplasty surgery, one of the most successful doctors in the world […] Fill out the form now for the big summer campaign VIP transfer 5-star package Holiday in the most beautiful city in the world […]”
The ASA challenged whether referring to the process as a “Holiday” trivialised the decision to undergo surgery and was therefore irresponsible.
The company said they had legal certification and authorisation from the Turkish government. As part of the medical tourism industry, they offered summer promotions, and highlighted that their clinic was in Turkey.
The ASA upheld the ruling, and told the company that the ads must not appear in the same format again, and no ads should be shared which trivialise the decision to engage in surgery.
