Videos Of YouTube Stars In An 'Oreo Licking Race' Banned For Failing To Make ...

YouTube/Amazing Phil

Oreo has had five YouTube ad spots banned by the UK advertising watchdog, after a BBC journalist raised concern the ads - posted on popular YouTube stars' channels - were not clearly identified as marketing communications.

The ads featured popular vloggers such as Dan and Phil and Tom Ridgewell and showed the YouTube creators taking part in an 'Oreo lick race.' The video is still available to watch on YouTube (see it below), in spite of the ruling.

Mondelez UK, which owns the brand, had paid the vloggers and supplied them with product to produce the video.

The FMCG giant defended the ads and said it was not the company's intention to mislead consumers. Mondelez added that each vlogger referenced the fact they had worked with Oreo, and that the vloggers made reference to others who had produced lick race videos for viewers to review. In addition the company added it thought the inclusion of the acknowledgment at the end of the content made the video identifiable as an ad.

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) disagreed and pointed out that the presentation of each ad was 'very much in keeping' with the editorial content of each vlogger's YouTube channels and as a consequence it would not be immediately clear they were marketing communications from the style alone.

While the watchdog acknowledged the inclusion of disclosure statements, such as 'Thanks to Oreo for making this video possible', they were still not significant enough.

Mondelez UK was told to ensure that future ads on the platform made its commercial intent clear prior to consumer engagement.

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This article originally appeared at The Drum. Copyright 2014.

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