Adverts beat extended grumbles

In the ads, Cole said: "Weak, limp, lifeless; it's time our hair got a life."

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) received 40 complaints that the ads misleadingly exaggerated the benefits of the L'Oreal products, which they believed could not produce the effects shown because Cole was wearing hair extensions.

The firm said results of large-scale consumer tests found that the products 'benefits were achievable and were recognised by average consumers who did not have hair extensions.

They said the ads were not intended to promise that consumers would look exactly like Cheryl Cole, and the average consumer would understand that the effects would vary according to hair type as well as to how the hair was styled.

Rejecting the complaints, the ASA today said the tests appeared to demonstrate that the results were achievable without hair extensions.

It added: "We considered most consumers would interpret the ads to mean the product would have an effect on the look and feel of hair that was weak, limp, lifeless, dull or straw-like. However, they were likely to understand that individual results would vary according to their own hair type."

And a Burger King campaign suspected by consumers of using "king" as a reference to a swear word has also been cleared by the advertising watchdog.

The three posters and internet ad drew 52 complaints for using the phrases "King tasty", "King delicious" and "King great".