A complaint against a TV advert for Eurocamp featuring toddler in bright sunlight on a rubber ring in a swimming pool has been rejected by the advertising watchdog.
The complainant challenged whether the ad, screened in January, featured behaviour that could be dangerous for children to emulate and was detrimental to children’s health.
The camping operator’s owner Greenbank Holidays responded that the film was not intended to reflect or promote sunbathing, but the idea of relaxation on a Eurocamp holiday.
The advert was part of a series and each included the voice-over line, “Perhaps you’re a chiller”.
The company argued that viewers would interpret the ad as simply showing a child relaxing on a rubber ring.
The child was in a relaxed pose which matched the voice-over line and would not be interpreted as a child actively sunbathing, according to Greenbank.
Dismissing the compliant today, the Advertising Standards Authority said: “The ad included scenes which featured children of various ages enjoying their holidays, playing sport and walking with adults in sunny conditions, as well as the scene about which the ASA received a complaint.
“That scene featured a young child in sunglasses lying on their back with their arms behind their head, in bright sunlight on a rubber ring in a swimming pool.
“NHS Guidance on sun safety stated that children who were exposed to the sun should wear suitable clothing and sunglasses along with sunscreen, and that extra care should be taken to protect very young children because they were particularly at risk of sun damage. Greater care was recommended when children were exposed to more intense sun than experienced in the UK.
“The scene featuring the child in a rubber ring was brief and they were wearing sunglasses as recommended by the NHS guidance.
“Whilst the pose was one which was associated with sunbathing, we did not consider that viewers would interpret the brief scene as showing a child sunbathing, particularly because it featured a very young child who would not normally engage in that activity.
“We therefore concluded that the ad did not condone a behaviour that was detrimental to children’s health and that it did not breach the [advertising] code.”
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