The encyclopedia · Advertising & PR · Marketing decision · 2023
Rimmel's 'slay this back to school season' concealer ad banned
Rimmel's 'Back to School' ad told girls to 'slay' with 25% off concealer — the ASA ruled it preyed on their insecurities.
Rimmel London · Coty · 2023-12
What happened
On 9 September 2023 a paid-for Facebook ad for Rimmel London showed a video of influencer Lana Jenkins applying make-up alongside the caption 'Get ready to slay this back to school season [books emoji] [stars emoji] Get 25% off Multi-Tasker Concealer and other Rimmel faves with code B2S25 only at lookfantastic.com', on-screen text reading 'CONTOURED QUEEN', and a 'Shop Now' button.
Coty UK Ltd t/a Rimmel London said the campaign 'in no way communicated a need to wear make-up', that 'back to school' referred to the September period for anyone going back to work — including university students, mums and teachers — that the ad targeted women aged 18–35, that its internal guidelines specified it did not market to children, and that 'slay' was a positive term meaning to do something spectacularly well, intended to motivate and build confidence rather than prey on young girls' insecurities.
On 20 December 2023 the ASA upheld the complaint. The words 'back to school season', in conjunction with the vibrant pink colour scheme, would primarily be understood as referring to the return to senior school or sixth form college. The use of 'slay' implied girls were more likely to succeed at school if they wore make-up, in this case a concealing and contouring product, and the ad therefore played on young girls' insecurities about their appearance. The ad breached CAP rule 1.3 and must not appear again in that form.
Why it happened
- A pink palette, books and stars emojis and a fluffy pink pen spoke to sixth formers — the 18–35 targeting sheet did not change what the ad said.
- 'Slay' meant succeed — and the success was conditional on wearing a concealing, contouring product.
- The targeting tools could not keep the ad from under-18s — an ad is judged by who it reaches, not who it aims at.
The lesson
An ad is judged by who it reaches: Rimmel's 'Get ready to slay this back to school season' concealer ad spoke to school-age girls — the ASA banned it as playing on their insecurities.
Aftermath
The ASA told Coty UK Ltd t/a Rimmel London not to play on young girls' insecurities by implying it was necessary to wear make-up to school to succeed.
Sources
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