Proving how consumers decode illegal weight-loss drug advertising
Proving how consumers decode illegal weight-loss drug advertising
Services:
CHALLENGE
The UK weight-loss market has grown rapidly, fuelling a surge in ads that skirt the ban on advertising prescription-only medicines (POMs) to the public. The ASA needed robust evidence of how consumers actually interpret these ads, and whether subtle creative cues lead people to think a POM is being sold.
APPROACH
MTM designed a carefully sequenced mixed-methods study – a nationally representative survey of 2,000 UK adults alongside a five-day online community and depth interviews – built to capture how people genuinely decode these ads, without ever revealing the regulatory question being tested.
IMPACT
The research proved that consumers decode subtle cues – like injector-pen imagery and clinical language – to link ads directly to weight-loss POMs, even when none is named. The findings now underpin live ASA enforcement action, including 18 upheld rulings and a joint Enforcement Notice with the MHRA and GPhC.
Our research provides a fascinating insight into people’s understanding of and attitudes towards weight-loss medicines. These are powerful drugs that can cause significant harm if not prescribed by a medical practitioner following consultation, which is why it’s important we act quickly to tackle weight-loss injection ads when they appear. This remains an ongoing enforcement priority, and we will continue to monitor the sector and take action where new risks emerge.”
Jess Tye
Regulatory Projects Manager, ASA
In focus at mtm
