Alibaba gets double slap over ad featuring underage girl

Alibaba Group, one of the world’s largest online shopping platforms, has received a double slap from the ad watchdog, firstly for displaying an image of an underage girl in a bikini and then for failing to engage with the regulator.

The ad in question appeared on the NewsNow website in February and MailOnline in March, and was served programmatically.

It featured a young female model wearing makeup and a high-leg string bikini on either side of the girl were two smaller images of adult female models, one wearing a bikini and one wearing a swimsuit.

The Advertising Standards Authority received complaints from two consumers who believed that the ad was “irresponsible” for portraying a child in a sexualised way.

However, Alibaba failed to respond to the watchdog’s investigation, leading to a stiff rebuke for the firm’s “apparent disregard” for the Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP) code with regards to inappropriately advertising underage women.

Both NewsNow and MailOnline, meanwhile, claimed the ad appeared on their websites after being served via open marketplace, assuming no liability for the violation of the CAP code.

The ASA ruling stated: “The model, who was looking straight at the camera, also wore makeup and posed with her head at a slight angle, pushing her hair behind her ear in a coquettish manner.

“While not overtly sexual, we considered the pose was quite adult for a model who was clearly under the age of 18. We considered that the model’s pose, in conjunction with the revealing clothing and makeup she was wearing, had the effect of portraying her in a sexual way.”

Banning the ad from appearing again, the ASA warned Alibaba to ensure future ads did not include images that portrayed or represented anyone who was, or seemed to be, under 18 years of age in a sexual manner. It also referred the matter to the CAP Compliance team.