Advertising | Notice from the Advertising Ethics Council about an advertisement idealizing a thin body image

Advertising the ethical council (MEN) has given a notice to the streaming service’s ad idealizing a thin body image. The notice was given to Storytel oy and to Helsingin Sanomat, which published the ad on its front page.

A note was given about taking advantage of the social insecurities of minors.

On the homepage of Helsingin Sanomat, an ad for the streaming service was published, with the phrase “Jesus likes skinny girls” in large print.

According to the Advertising Ethics Council, the provocative expression had been used as such as a means of attracting the attention of the advertisement.

The expression did not affect the name of the literary work, with a quick glance at the newspaper advertisement, because it was a claim and the authors of the work were not mentioned.

An advertisement according to the council, the large-scale expression was aimed at young people who are particularly interested in their own body and their external being.

In marketing, exploiting the social insecurities of minors is against good manners.

The confusing wording of the ad could be interpreted as idealizing a thin body image, because it was not immediately clear from the ad that the question was about the title of the work.

The ad was apt to cause unnecessary concern among young people, especially young women and girls, regarding their own body image. The ad undermined the positive attitude, behavior and lifestyle of young people.

The provocative expression “Jesus likes skinny girls” claimed by the large advertisement was used on the front page of the newspaper advertisement as an effective means of marketing, contrary to good practice.

The Advertising Ethics Council is the self-regulatory body of business life. Its task is to issue statements on whether an advertisement or other procedure in commercial marketing is contrary to good practice or can be identified as marketing.