Hypnotist told to tone down ads for slimming system
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.His powers over people's minds are well known but the hypnotist Paul McKenna may be less capable of permanently changing the bodies of his clients, according to a report by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA).
An ad for a Paul McKenna event is criticised today for implying participants were guaranteed permanent weight loss. A photo of the hypnotist featured in the ad along with the claim his programme was: "The most effective weight loss system available. Lose weight and keep it off."
The ASA found that the regional press advert was in breach of the advertising code. Paul McKenna Training – which advertised the weight loss event – could not back up the implication that participants would permanently lose weight, the watchdog said. It told the company not to repeat the claim and said it should seek the advice of experts before making similar claims in future advertisements.
The ASA accepted that a "high proportion" of participants had reported losing weight after attending a Paul McKenna event. But the watchdog said this was "inadequate to support the implication that all participants would lose weight and keep it off forever".
Paul McKenna Training sent the ASA surveys of previous weight-loss event attendees which showed 71 per cent had lost weight.
The hypnotist's company agreed not to repeat the advertising claim until it had independent research to back it up.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments