In response to the ASA Council overturning its ‘not up held’ adjudication on an Advanced Hair Studio advertisement, Carl Howell, founder and chairman said:

“As the world’s largest international Hair Restoration Company founded in Australia, it is extremely frustrating conducting business in the UK when your advertising is approved by the local authorities, only to have them change their minds years later for no logical reason.”

“The UK Government and Advertising Authorities should look at the business model here in Australia when it comes to advertising practise as the best way to handle these approval issues”

“It is frustrating, if not baffling, when you have followed the advice of CAP (Committee of Advertising Practice) and the ASA to get a result like this. We ensured that that particular advertisement met the code of compliance and received approval to advertise. Our advert was also approved by the ASA in its first adjudication.

“This process, initiated by one unidentified complainant, has taken over two years to resolve and the initial decision in our favour was overturned without any further arguments presented against us.

“We were even upheld for using a word to describe a product that CAP also used on its own website. This ruling by the ASA is all a matter of semantics over the words ‘approved’, ‘cleared’ or alternatively’.

“What is not in doubt is that the US Food and Drug Administration recognise that the laser device we use in our AHS-FP programme stimulates hair growth in men suffering from male pattern baldness.

“This is not the first time that our advertisement has been approved, only to be ruled against by the same body later. What is an advertiser to do?

“Regardless, we will continue to consult with CAP and the ASA as Advanced Hair Studio’s programmes and procedures provide a range of very successful solutions for people suffering from hair loss. Our business has been running for over 35 years and we have hundreds of thousands of satisfied clients worldwide”.