Dive Brief:
- London mayor Sadiq Khan announced a ban on “unhealthy or unrealistic body images” on advertising appearing on London public transportation, known as Transport for London (TfL).
- The ban follows controversy over campaigns featuring bikini-clad women that were seen as body shaming from last year. Khan stated his teenage daughters helped him make the decision to impose the ban.
- Business Insider reports that London’s City Hall has asked the TfL to create an “advertising steering group” along with JCDecaux and Exterion to monitor ads on public transportation and ensure the ads reflect the city’s diversity.
Dive Insight:
Khan's move to ban unrealistic body images from ads on public transportation comes at a time when the advertising world is becoming more inclusive, largely in response to millennials. The demographic as a whole is demanding more social inclusivity than previous generations.
"As the father of two teenage girls, I am extremely concerned about this kind of advertising which can demean people, particularly women, and make them ashamed of their bodies," Khan said in a statement. "It is high time it came to an end. Nobody should feel pressurized, while they travel on the Tube or bus, into unrealistic expectations surrounding their bodies and I want to send a clear message to the advertising industry about this.”
Retail marketers should take note: Although exclusivity was once embraced by many retailers as the very definition of their brand, many retailers are becoming more inclusive. As millennials come of age and gain in spending power, retailers will need to adapt to different forms of self expression and broadening social conscience, according to experts.
"A lot of the fashion world, they take advantage of insecurity by making people more insecure," James Rhee, CEO of plus-size retailer Ashley Stewart, told Retail Dive in an interview.
