Online clothing brand CharGrilled has withdrawn an advert from a national magazine after it showed a young girl drinking alcohol and smoking, suggesting it would enhance a person‘s popularity.
The print advert in April‘s issue of Viz magazine featured a young girl wearing a T-shirt and holding a glass of wine and a cigarette with the text reading “BE A COOL KID – Wear a CharGrilled T-Shirt.”
In response, CharGrilled said the ad did not enhance the popularity of drinking or smoking but accepted that the girl appeared under the age of 25, which breached the ASA‘s rules, and withdrew the ad.
The company said it had taken the image from a stock photo library and had not chosen the specific model that appeared in the ad.
The ASA found that the ad breached its codes on responsible advertising, harm and offence, children and alcohol.
The regulator welcomed CharGrilled‘s assurance that the ad had been withdrawn and told the retailer that future ads must not feature children appearing to smoke or drink.
