Users of the Nivea DNAge Cell Renewal Day Cream could ‘‘face the future with firmer skin’‘, a magazine advertisement claimed. But the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) said Nivea’s ‘‘innovation in skincare’’ failed to explain how the DNAge cream might only have a temporary, visible effect on the skin

While Nivea backed up its claims with a footnote on the advert reading ''126 women agreed'', the ASA ruled the skincare company failed to show how many women were consulted, further misleading potential customers. Marketers need to be very aware of the complexity of the actual products and services they are talking about. Close links with product research, planning, product development and innovation are essential to ensure that a marketer has the full background story at their disposal. They also need to ensure they then pass this information through to agencies and PRs who may well be developing campaigns on their behalf. As with many of these slip ups, communication is at the heart of things. Get it right and all's well but get it wrong and it can be costly in more ways than one. reported in Telegraph.co.uk and UTalkMarketing.com