Powerade advert featuring Israel Dagg and Steven Adams taken off air over misleading claims

Monday, 3 June 2019

Two television advertisements for sports drink Powerade have been taken off air following complaints.

The ads showed rugby star former All Black Israel Dagg and basketball player Steven Adams getting injured before drinking a bottle of Powerade and returning to their game.

A complaint, which was upheld, was made to the Advertising Standards Authority stating the ads implied drinking Powerade was good for sports injuries.

'All follow a very deliberate and consistent thread, and include the sports stars coming back from injury,' the complainant argued.

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'The voiceover doesn't talk about the injury, but the whole narrative is designed to imply that it, the sports drink, helps in such a scenario.'

After asking children aged 10 -13 years old what they thought the advert meant, and all responded that the drink healed injuries, the complainant made the decision to complain.

Manufacturer Coca Cola argued the adverts were clear that Powerade 'replaces four electrolytes lost in sweat', and did not think they suggested the drink could help athletes recover from injury.

'Rather, the audiences would appreciate that the sports injuries merely provide background for the nature and extent of the work put in by the featured athletes.'

The Complaints Board agreed the two advertisements featuring Adams and Dagg were misleading.

'This sequence of events implies Powerade can help athletes recover from injury, and this is misleading. These advertisements are in breach of the Advertising Standards Code,' the ruling said.

The two advertisements were then removed from television, while a third, featuring swimmer Sophie Pascoe, was deemed not to be misleading by the authority as it did not show her being injured before drinking Powerade.