In 2015, The Body Shop introduced a new skincare line in the Benelux countries named “SECRETS OF THE WORLD,” featuring four distinct lines: RELAXING RITUAL, REVITALISING RITUAL, BLISSFUL RITUAL, and

Nissan launched an advertisement on YouTube for the Nissan Qashqai with e-Power. The consumer sees images of a moving car with the text, “Who says you need a plug to

More and more people are concerned about what the world will look like in the future. Sustainability is becoming increasingly important for consumers and influences their purchasing behaviour, choosing particular

Dutch discounter Zeeman always features a segment of its offerings in their ‘it can be that simple’ campaign. After socks and men’s underwear, a new commercial runs on women’s underwear.

Flo Broughton starts a chocolatery named ‘Choc on Choc’ with her father back in 2003. Ever since 2015, they have been selling matches made out of white Belgian chocolate. The

Everyone who has ever used Parodontax toothpaste knows that it has no equal. This toothpaste has a unique salty taste, does not foam and once you are used to it,

Misleading advertising is found all over the world. It often concerns use of words, but the deception can also involve matching packaging. Sometimes unexpected parties com to the rescue. Choc

If a person is photographed, he or she can object to the publication of that photo if the person has a reasonable interest in doing so. For celebrities this often

As an introduction of the brand Picnic, the company launched a viral parody of the Jumbo commercials featuring Max Verstappen. Celebrities popularity can be monetized. For that reason Max started

Not only King’s Day (a Dutch national holiday celebrating the birthday of the sovereign) celebrations were limited this year, also the number of follow-on advertising campaigns was scarce. Question is:

Humor is not equally appreciated by everyone. After the riot with Jan Kooijman, sauce maker Remia is back on the game with its BBQ sauce advertisement. On the label of

Comparative advertising is allowed. Stronger still: comparative advertising should be considered a good thing. By comparative advertising consumers are better informed of the existence of equivalent alternatives. This allows for

On TV the most horrifying images can be seen on a daily basis, violence and aggression alr also commonly seen in games. However, there are quite strict rules to ensure

When consumers are bothered by the content of advertising, they can file a complaint with “the Dutch Advertising Code Committee”. This is easy and free of charge. Fortunately, complaints are

In the new billboard campaign of Suitsupply we see a male in suit putting his hand on the chest of another male, while another one depicts two kissing males. The

Picnic, a chain of grocery stores, has put himself in the spotlight in one strike with parody of a competitor’s commercial starring popular formula 1 driver Max Verstappen. As hoped

Can you free-ride on the wave of publicity surrounding the World Cup as a company? In principle you can, as long as this is not in conflict with any statutory

Advertising is legally protected by the constitutional right, freedom of speech. However, can this freedom be limited if certain advertising is harmful or insulting to certain religious groups? This question

Dutch radio-station “Radio 538” has a reputation for making controversial campaigns, resulting in many complaints before the RCC (The Dutch Advertising Code) after the launch of every summer campaign. It

In the new Jumbo commercials Max Verstappen is racing from client to client in his Formula 1 car delivering online orders. In less than a day after the launch of

In the Netherlands the ADCN lamps and the Cannes Lions are the important awards for the creativity of an advertising agency. Often there is a striking similarity between the winning

Suit Supply is a company that manufactures and sells reasonably priced quality suits for men. It has also built itself a reputation, in the Netherlands, for its controversial commercials. Also

In 1965 Storck (the German manufacturer of Merci) introduces the brilliant idea to market chocolate specifically as a gift. Chocolate for friends to show your gratitude. Therefore all commercials end

In Europe there are certain guidelines one must follow when it comes to packaging of products. It is important that the packaging does not mislead the consumer as to the

To commemorate its ten year anniversary Leerkus MotoFun sent a funny mailing with the theme “extreme amount of tax refunds!!”. The mailing was addressed to “whoever inhabits this address” and

Often claims of superiority are a form

Campaigns from Wakker Dier (an animal rights organization from the Netherlands) are always highly criticized. More often than not the complainant is not the company that is being criticized, but

Campaigns from Belgian political party Vlaams Belang often lead to court cases. The latest campaign for the European Parliamentary elections was no different: “Westmal of halal”. In the campaign we

A new UNOX commercial has ruffled a few feathers. In the commercial a few daughters visit their mother for dinner. In a concerned tone one of the daughters asked her

In England, a riot occurred surrounding the fantastic new commercial for Unilever’s Marmite. The commercial has a report like layout. Rescue teams enter houses to save unused and neglected Marmite

Misogynistic or sexually loaded commercials can usually expect their fair share of criticism. In the Netherlands the boundry of what is allowed is often being explored. It is clear that

Mother Pucker is a new Lemon Fresh drink. The logo and the label state: ‘Lemonade’. A complaint with the Advertising Code Committee (RCC) is filed in response. The complainant argues

Red Bull likes to refer to well known facts and myths in their commercials. This time Red Bull based a commercial on a famous story from the Bible. In the

On July 27th, 2012 the Olympic Games will commence in London. This seems to be the time for all sorts of underhanded commercial tactics. The IOC will do whatever it

The new Zalando commercial humorously mocks people with a passion for shoes. In the commercial a bank robbery goes completely wrong at the moment the courier arrives with

For advertising campaigns clients often require that they are indemnified against possible infringements of intellectual property rights owned by third parties. The consequence of this is

The new campaign for Maybelline’s’ The Colossal Cat Eyes shows a leopard and two young tiger cubs on a leash. The mascara (and brush) gives a feline glance.

In our last newsletter we showcased a campaign by Suit Supply, that was borderline inadmissible. The Advertising Code Committee was not given a reprieve because a new case,

Suit Supply’s new campaign “Shameless” caused a lot of commotion. It did not take long before the Dutch Advertising Standards Authority (RCC) was flooded with complaints. The complainants

For years Antonio Federici has been making notorious and satirical advertisements. Just like last year this year’s advertisement has been banned by the Advertising Standards Authority in the

In our second item on tobacco the “victim” is Davidoff. Davidoff is one of the main sponsors of the Swiss ATP Indoor Tennis Tournament. Apparently the connection between smoking and

A new Diesel campaign has made some shockwaves in England. The campaign has the credo. “Be Stupid” – “Smart may have the brains, but Stupid has the balls”. As if

In the past Ferrari’s Formula 1 cars used to sport the name of their sponsor MARLBORO on the side of their cars.

In our second item on tobacco the “victim” is Davidoff. Davidoff is one of the main sponsors of the Swiss ATP Indoor Tennis Tournament. Apparently the connection between smoking and

André Rieu is one of the most successful classical musicians in the Netherlands. For that reason he has registered both his name and his portrait as a trademark. Of course,

Humor and trademark law do not go well together. In order to prevent any misuse by third parties it is advisable to always register your slogans. The Dutch national airport

With regards to global advertising the same campains are sometimes used in many different countries. This is not without always risk. The image above provided some commotion in Switzerland, since

Due to the harsh winter climate the bottle of Grasovka Vodka is temporarily wrapped in bison fur. The Foundation for Alcohol Prevention objected this novelty. By wrapping the bottle in

In the Netherlands the strongest trademarks are Google en Cliniclowns. Google is not only the
strongest mark in the Netherlands, but worldwide as well. The trademark is estimated to be

Both Auping and Phi-ton sell beds and mattresses. Phi-ton advertises with the slogan “you’ve never slept this well” and “the highest comfort for all ages”.
Auping advertises with the slogan

In the context of pitches and new campaigns, the Society for Advertising has developed an emergency procedure. Following this procedure, certainty can be obtained in advance as to whether the