An advertising campaign for the Lucozade energy sports drink has been banned over its claims that it “hydrates and fuels you better than water”.
The television ad received 63 complaints to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), which has made the decision to ban it.
Kinvara Carey, General Manager, Natural Hydration Council said:
“We are pleased with the decision by the ASA to uphold our complaint regarding the high profile Lucozade Sport advertising campaign. There is already much confusion over the role of sports drinks and for the majority of people participating in exercise and sporting activities, water is all that is needed for effective hydration. The majority of sports drinks contain calories and may only have a positive contribution to make to professional athletes and those participating in high intensity, endurance activity.”
GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) claimed that the two health claims about hydrating and fuelling the body better than water were authorised by the European Union, with the narrator in the advertisement saying:
“Lucozade Sport gives you the electrolytes and carbohydrates you need, hydrating you, fuelling you better than water.”
The EU had authorised the claim that “carbohydrate-electrolyte solutions enhance the absorption of water during physical exercise”, and advertisers are permitted a certain degree of freedom to rephrase claims, but the ASA found that GSK’s claims for Lucozade Sport had gone too far.
The ASA said the campaign did not make it clear that the benefits of the drink would only be got during prolonged endurance exercise.
