Several media outlets in the United Kingdom reported that advertisements for Reebok’s EasyTone collection were banned by The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), the watchdog group, due to doubts over its toning claims. While defending its product's merits, Reebok also said that ASA has not banned all EasyTone ads but only two specific ads that are no longer running.
“Its ruling, based on two complaints, refers to one print ad (that was run in one magazine) and one TV ad, both from an old campaign,' said Reebok in a statement.”These ads have already been replaced by a new advertising campaign that will break in the New Year.”
Clearcast, which approves ads before screening, had cleared both ads, saying Reebok's claims were substantiated by an independent study, commissioned by Reebok, that compared the increase in muscle activation in certain parts of the body when wearing the trainers and when walking barefoot. But ASA last week upheld the two complaints it had received. It also noted that the sample size of the study was “very small” and was “not adequate to support the absolute claims made in the ads that consumers would achieve an improvement in muscle tone.”
Reebok last week again defended its product.
A statement released by the company stated, “EasyTone shoes use balance ball-inspired technology. Balance balls are used in gyms around the world and the benefits of this type of training are well documented.”
