The ad for vaping brand VIP - which has already stirred up controversy with a raunchy set of TV ads that the Advertising Standard Authority recently ruled must air after 9pm following over 1,000 complaints - will make its broadcast debut during ITV crime drama ‘Grantchester’, which starts at 9pm.
The spot features a woman (who has starred in the previous TV work) exhaling e-cigarette vapour.
Under new CAP rules, vaping brands can now show people over 25 inhaling and exhaling vapour. But the ads must still not appeal to non-smokers, neither must they claim that e-cigarettes are healthier than smoking tobacco, nor must they target under-18s.
David Levin, VIP’s co-founder, said: "This will mark the first time in almost 50 years that TV audiences see someone exhale what appears to be cigarette smoke on an ad. However, it is actually vapour from an e-cigarette that they will see."
The ad is the first UK TV ad showing someone "smoking" since 1965, when a ban came into effect.
Levin said: "VIP is aimed at adults and, as such, all adverts will appear in suitable programmes after the watershed.
"E-cigarettes have been shown to be a healthier alternative to tobacco and this is about helping people who want to smoke to make a healthier choice."
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