Aimee Walker
A John Lewis advert, which features a boy wearing a dress and makeup, has been banned.
According to reports, Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) regulators have argued that the home insurance ad is ‘misleading’ as it shows the child trashing his home, implying to customers that this would be covered if this actually happened to them.
The retailer has since released a statement that claims the company never intended to ‘confuse’ customers.
Watch the controversial advert in the clip below…
It reads: “You may have seen our Let Life Happen advert for our new home contents insurance offering, which ran between 11 and 27 October 2021.
“This advert has been withdrawn because the Financial Conduct Authority considers the content to be potentially misleading and could cause customers to be confused about John Lewis’s new home contents insurance offering. This was absolutely never our intention.
“The Let Life Happen John Lewis home insurance advert was created to show a joyful depiction of a young actor getting carried away with his performance, oblivious of the unintentional consequences of his actions.”
It continues: “We have decided to contact every customer who purchased our new home contents insurance cover from 11 October to 31 October to confirm they understood these points and are happy with their purchase.”
An FCA representative has also commented, saying: “Financial services firms’ marketing must be clear, fair and not misleading.”
Male Teacher Shamed For Wearing Makeup By Online Trolls
The advert received a lot of criticism when it first aired as many felt it promoted ‘crass culture lectures’.
One Twitter user penned at the time: “Home insurance advert features a small boy flouncing about in a long dress, bright red lipstick, and blue eyeshadow.
“Shoppers don’t want crass cultural lectures from department stores! This type of crap won’t reverse its £517m losses.”
Another asked: “Why does a small child have to send out a message of LGBTQ equality? Why is he acting like a drag queen?”
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