Sweaty Betty in new dispute over advert slogans | EUROtoday

Activewear model Sweaty Betty has turn into concerned in a brand new dispute over promoting slogans, which a interval underwear firm claims had been copied.

Kelly Newton stated Sweaty Betty’s use of two taglines that had been similar to her agency Nixi Body’s “seemed a little off”, and whereas she couldn’t get them trademarked she felt Sweaty Betty was “taking from” different feminine founders.

Sweaty Betty stated the “No ifs. Just butt.” line had been utilized by many manufacturers and influencers, but additionally stated it was reviewing all its advertising campaigns.

Ms Newton stated she was talking out after seeing private coach Georgina Cox reveal Sweaty Betty had provided her a settlement over a disputed slogan.

Ms Newton, who co-founded Nixi Body in 2019, stated the corporate has marketed its leak-proof interval underwear with the strains “Keeping you moving through menstruation, motherhood and menopause” and “No leaks. No ifs. Just butts.” for years.

But late final 12 months a buddy alerted her to a Sweaty Betty advert for its femtech vary of leak-resistant and maternity leggings with the tagline “Keeping you moving through menstruation, maternity and menopause”.

At first, Ms Newton thought it might have been a coincidence, and stated she was irritated however didn’t really feel there was something she might do.

That tagline has since been modified on the Sweaty Betty web site to “Menstruation. Maternity. Menopause. Together we’re raising the bar for every woman, for any life stage.”

Then, earlier this 12 months, she observed Sweaty Betty was working a marketing campaign with the road “No ifs. Just butt.”

“I thought ‘oh hang on a second’,” Ms Newton advised the BBC.

Again, Ms Newton stated she did not attain out. She stated she had tried to get the “Keeping you moving through menstruation, motherhood and menopause” line trademarked however was unable to take action, and stated she knew that legally she had little recourse.

“Legally they were within their rights to use these words, but they’re words that we’ve used for quite a few years.

It was personal trainer Ms Cox sharing her story about dealing with the brand that made her want to speak out, Ms Newton said.

Last month Ms Cox revealed that Sweaty Betty had offered her £4,000 in exchange for confidentiality over the use of the phrase “Wear The Damn Shorts” that she claims was used without crediting her in its latest campaigns.

She told the BBC she came up with the slogan alongside her sister in 2020 and it quickly went viral. In 2023, Sweaty Betty approached her to use it in a campaign and paid her £3,500 to do so.

She was also paid for another campaign using it in 2024, but was not approached about it for this year.

Ms Newton said she felt compelled to speak out about her experience after talking to Ms Cox, because she was not the only person affected.

“Your tagline cannot be empowering all girls when really all you are doing is taking from them,” she said, adding that she was not seeking compensation but rather for Sweaty Betty to be accountable.

“It simply looks like for me all of the slogans I’m seeing are coming from different feminine founders.

“I just want them to do the right thing and just morally acknowledging what they’ve done isn’t great and to do better really.”

Sweaty Betty stated it selected phrases “to empower women through fitness” to promote its femtech vary, one thing many manufacturers attempt to do, which “sometimes… means the language used by different brands aligns”.

“We have been using the phrase for over a year and Nixi has not been in touch with us about our use of it. The phrase is used by many brands in various forms and that is why no individual or brand can claim exclusive rights to it or trademark it,” the corporate stated in a press release.

“It is never our intent to take credit for the work or creativity of others, particularly from trailblazing women, and we have reached out to Nixi Body directly to convey this. We have also been undertaking a review of all our campaigns and marketing language to fully understand the origins of the phrases we use and will continue to do this.

“We be aware that such a evaluation was performed with respect to the ‘Wear the Damn Shorts’ phrase and its origins date again to at the least as early as 2019, earlier than both Ms Cox or Sweaty Betty first used the phrase. We proceed to work in direction of a decision with Ms Cox, as has all the time been our goal, nevertheless this dispute stays ongoing.”