The Advertising Standards Authority for Ireland (ASAI) has upheld a complaint against Kerry Foods for an ad deemed to show unsafe driving practices.
The television ad in question was for the Denny brand, and focused on a young couple’s return to Ireland to see family after having a baby.
The complaint was made because the ad showed a man taking his eyes off the road to look back at the baby in a car. The complainant said that this action was hazardous to both the occupants of the car and to oncoming traffic.
He also cited a recent RSA ad with the tagline “Don’t Lose a lifetime looking back”, which depicts the dangers of drivers taking their eyes off the road to check on children in the back seat.
Kerry Foods responded by saying that while it understood the complainants concerns, the ad only depicted a brief glance at the child from the driver, and that it did not show him being distracted or interacting with the baby.
While the ASAI accepted it had not been the intention of the advertisers to condone unsafe driving, it decided that the behaviour shown in the ad depicted unsafe practices and upheld the complaint. It recommended that the advertising not be used in the same format again.
In its latest bulletin, the ASAI reported that it had recently found 13 ads to be in breach of advertising standards out of 15 investigated complaints.
Orla Twomey, Assistant CEO of the ASAI, noted in the bulletin, "The updated ASAI Code of Standards for Advertising and Marketing Communications in Ireland came into effect on 1 March to ensure that the Code will remain, at all times, credible and relevant."
She added that, "If an advertiser has any concerns relating to any future campaign they feel may be in breach of the ASAI’s Code, they can contact us and avail of the free and confidential copy advice service."
© 2016 - Checkout Magazine by Jenny Whelan.
