Both watchdogs upheld complaints from the Food Commission challenging Tetley's assertion that 'Tetley is rich in anti-oxidants that can keep your heart healthy'. They agreed this implied that drinking tea had "proven health benefits".
The ASA ruled that much of the evidence submitted by Tetley to back up its claims only emphasised the need for more research. The watchdogs also agreed that the slogan 'Go on, live a lot' misleadingly implied that drinking tea would prolong life.
Nick Kilby, Tetley's marketing development director, denied the judgements had thrown the brand's whole relaunch strategy into doubt. "We still believe in celebrating all the virtues of drinking tea, we just need to find a different way of saying it." The £15m ads, by D'Arcy, launched this spring, replacing the long-running Tetley tea folk work.
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