Adverts for health brands Zoe and Huel that feature Dragons’ Den star Steven Bartlett have been banned for failing to disclose their commercial relationship with the celebrity entrepreneur and influencer.
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) found the ads, shared on Facebook in February, “omitted” information about their links to the Diary of a CEO author, who is an investor at both brands.
The ASA found the two adverts for Huel and one for Zoe were likely to mislead consumers.
The advert for nutrition company Zoe, which offers health testing and dietary advice services, featured an image of Bartlett with a yellow Zoe patch on his arm, with a quote from Bartlett, stating: “If you haven’t tried Zoe yet, give it a shot. It might just change your life.”
Zoe defended the ad, arguing that the average customer would understand that there was a commercial relationship if a celebrity appeared in an advert for a brand, and that the consumer did not need to know the exact details of their affiliations Bartlett.
The Huel adverts – a brand known for selling “ready-to-drink bottled meals” and protein supplements – featured Barlett stating that its Daily Greens powder was the “best product” it had released.
The brand also argued that customers did not need to know the exact details of their links to Bartlett.
However, the ASA found that many consumers would be aware that Bartlett had a financial interest in the companies.
It said: “We considered that Bartlett’s directorship was material to consumers’ understanding of the ads, and so relevant for them in making an informed decision about the advertised product.
“Because the ads omitted material information about Steven Bartlett’s position as a director at Huel, we concluded they were likely to mislead.”
In relation to Zoe, the regulator said: “Steven Bartlett was an investor in Zoe, which we considered was material to consumers’ understanding of the ad and relevant in making an informed decision about the product.
“Because the ad omitted material information about Steven Bartlett being an investor in Zoe, we concluded that it was misleading.”
The regulator also banned an audio advert for Huel in 2022, in which Bartlett promoted Huel’s iced coffee caramel-flavour drink during a segment on his highly successful podcast The Diary Of A CEO show.
Huel, Zoe and Bartlett have been contacted for comment.
Bartlett is an entrepreneur, speaker, investor and Dragon on Dragon’s Den with particular 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 speak about their journeys towards material, professional and commercial success.
With additional reporting from PA.