Ad watchdog pulls Zovirax TV spot

by Hadassah Nymark, campaignlive.co.uk 17-Jun-09, 08:00

LONDON - A TV ad for Zovirax cold sore treatment, by Ogilvy, claiming that "nothing works faster" has been pulled by the Advertising Standards Authority.

Two people challenged whether the claim could be substantiated as they had seen a light-emitting device that worked more efficiently.

GlaxoSmithKline, which makes Zovirax, had not tested their product against the light-emitting device to see which worked faster.

The advertiser requested data to carry out a more thorough comparison and said it would amend the spot according to the results.

But because GSK could not provide sufficient evidence to show that the cream worked at least as quickly as all other treatments at successfully treating cold sores, the ASA determined that the ad breached the CAP Code.

The ad must not be shown again in its current form.