As another dairy processor today cut the price paid to its farmers, Kellogg’s was also left crying over spilt milk.
The cereal giant was slapped down by the Advertising Standards Authority for a Special K ad the watchdog deemed misleading. (Amusingly, the story on The Independent’s website was accompanied by an advert for… Special K and its ‘free slimming plan’.)
The ad showed the usual healthy woman with absolutely no need to diet fixing herself breakfast, while a voiceover rallied the sisterhood. “We women know how to get the most out of our mornings… like enjoying a delicious bowl of Special K at 114 calories. Because - believe it or not - we don’t just wake up looking fabulous.”
Text on the screen said a 30g bowl was 114 calories - but that didn’t include the liberal serving of milk lavished on the cereal by the model. The ASA reckoned people would assume the calorie count included the milk, so has banned the advert.
Kellogg’s argued that some people ate their cereal with yoghurt, orange juice or even by itself (mmm!), so giving a calorie count for anything but the product itself would have been even more confusing.
If that sounds disingenuous, Daily Bread personally knows dieting zealots who’ve lived on bowls of the stuff livened up with nothing more than warm water. So the cereal giant has a point.
Even so, Kellogg’s should surely be forced to admit that however ‘healthy and balanced’ our lifestyles, 99% of viewers aren’t going to end looking like the people in the ads.
No comments yet