Steven Bartlett rapped over ‘misleading’ adverts

Entrepreneur Steven Bartlett has been rapped by the Advertising Regulator for two “misleading” adverts for businesses he is directly involved in, and the businesses involved have been told not to show the adverts again.

The Dragon’s Den star fronted the video adverts as if he was giving a celebrity endorsement of the products.

One, for healthcare company Zoe failed to acknowledge that Barlett is an investor in the business, which the Advertising Standards Authority deemed to be “material information”.

The ASA said: “Steven Bartlett was an investor in Zoe, which we considered was material to consumers’ understanding of the ad and relevant in making an informed decision about the product. Because the ad omitted material information about Steven Bartlett being an investor in Zoe, we concluded that it was misleading.”

In two paid-for Facebook ads for Huel claims are made that “‘This is Huel’s best product’ Steven Bartlett” which the ASA said was relevant but that “many consumers were unlikely” to understand his financial interest as a director of the supplements business.

“Because the ads omitted material information about Steven Bartlett’s position as a director at Huel, we concluded they were likely to mislead,” the ruling concluded.

Bartlett created Manchester-based agency Social Chain and has built a reputation as a voice for entrepreneurship.

In their defence Huel said Steven Bartlett was a well-known celebrity, entrepreneur, and investor. He had appeared regularly on the BBC’s Dragon’s Den programme, had 3.5 million followers on Instagram, a podcast with 6 million subscribers, and had published a Sunday Times bestselling book.

They said Bartlett had invested in Huel as he liked their products. Huel had announced this on their website and YouTube channel, and this had received coverage in the media.