Yves St Laurent has gotten in trouble for their TV spot for the perfume Belle D’Opium. A young woman traces the line of the vein on her arm and the voiceover says “I am your addiction. I am Belle D’Opium. The new fragrance by Yves St Laurent.”
While Yves St Laurent says the ad is designed to suggest the fragrance is addictive, multiple complaints still came in. The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) said the shortened ad in particular could be easily misinterpreted.
“We were concerned that in the context of the ad, Belle running her finger down her inner arm could be seen to simulate the injection of opiates into the body,” the ASA said in its ruling. “Following that scene, Belle was shown moving in a series of short, rapid scenes, before the ad concluded with her body seizing upwards while lying on the floor, an action we considered could be seen to simulate the effect of drugs on the body.
Source: Reuters {link no longer active}
