An Instagram post by Australian fashion label Venroy has been caught in an Ad Standards review amid health and safety concerns.
The post depicted a man wearing a black singlet and pants and walking towards the camera with a cigarette in his mouth and a pack of cigarettes in his hand. The post featured the word ‘VENROY’ at the top, and a caption that read “Three islands, one beautiful summer. European Summer 26 is here.”
Australia’s Ad Standards received a complaint on the grounds that Venroy had used cigarettes as an accessory or set dressing in a way that implies that cigarettes are cool or fashionable.
The advertising watchdog did not receive a response from Venroy over the complaint.
An Ad Standards community panel considered that the image created a sense that smoking was fashionable, “if not aspirational”. The panel also noted that cigarettes and smoking have no relevance to clothing and that smoking carries proven health risks.
This is contrary to the AANA Code of Ethics, specifically section 2.6 covering health and safety, leading the panel to agree that the ad breached the code.
The panel noted that, at the time of finalising its decision, the ad had been removed from Meta platforms.