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Advertisements for health brands Zoe and Huel featuring The dragon's lair Star Steven Bartlett has been banned for failing to disclose his business relationship with the famous businessman and influencer.
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) found that the ads, shared on Facebook in February, “omitted” information about their links to the Diary of a CEO author, who is an investor in both brands.
The ASA concluded that the two Huel adverts and one Zoe advert were likely to mislead consumers.
The ad for nutrition company Zoe, which offers health analysis and dietary advice services, featured an image of Bartlett wearing a yellow Zoe patch on her arm, with a quote from Bartlett that read: “If you haven’t tried Zoe yet, give it a try. It might just change your life.”
Zoe defended the ad, arguing that the average customer would understand that a business relationship existed if a celebrity appeared in an advertisement for a brand, and that the consumer did not need to know the exact details of their affiliations with Bartlett.
Ads for Huel, a brand known for selling “ready-to-drink bottled meals” and protein supplements, featured Barlett claiming that its Daily Greens powder was the “best product” it had ever launched.
The brand also argued that customers did not need to know the exact details of its ties to Bartlett.
However, the ASA found that many consumers would have known that Bartlett had a financial interest in the companies.
He said: “We considered Bartlett’s direction to be important to consumers’ understanding of the advertisements and therefore relevant to them being able to make an informed decision about the advertised product.
“As the advertisements omitted important information about Steven Bartlett’s position as a director of Huel, we concluded that they were likely to be misleading.”
In relation to Zoe, the regulator said: “Steven Bartlett was an investor in Zoe, which we considered was important for consumers to understand the advertisement and relevant to making an informed decision about the product.
“Because the announcement omitted important information about Steven Bartlett being an investor in Zoe, we concluded that it was misleading.”
The regulator also banned a Huel audio ad in 2022, in which Bartlett promoted Huel's caramel-flavored iced coffee drink during a segment on his hit podcast. The diary of a CEO show.
Huel, Zoe and Bartlett have been contacted for comment.
Bartlett is an entrepreneur, speaker, investor, and Dragon's Den member, with a focus on the health and wellness industries. He rose to fame with his business advice in his self-help book A Diary of a CEO, which contains “33 Laws of Business and Life.”
That book was already the title of his successful podcast, in which he invites wealthy and influential people to talk about their journeys towards material, professional and commercial success.
With additional reporting from PA.
