Two versions of the same ad for Volkswagen Polo with Advanced Safety Systems have been banned from television, after 6 complains were lodged with the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) in the UK.
You can see the original ad in the video at the bottom of the page. The complaints argued that it encouraged reckless driving by emphasizing the capabilities of the car to brake in time to avoid accidents.
Though Volkswagen Group UK Ltd argued that the ad was light-hearted in tone and actually promoted safe driving, ASA upheld the complaints. The ad can not air on television in this form ever again in the UK.
The ad shows a boy in various stages of his life, trying out new things like riding a bike, a motorcycle and eventually getting his own car. All learning experiences come with accidents and lots of stress for his father, who is always watching on the side, trying not to interfere.
When the boy (now a man) gets a car, his father is right there, besides him. He is even more stressed out than before, so when the young man brakes suddenly as a pedestrian jumped in front of the car, he is relieved that no one was injured.
However, it was the car that did the braking for him: the young man is driving a VW Polo with Advanced Safety Systems and it detects obstacles and pedestrians perhaps quicker than the driver.
Whereas the driver in the video is paying attention to the road and going at about 23mph, ASA ruled that the indie music used, as well as the father’s reaction, suggests some form of recklessness is happening. In other words, yes, the ad encourages reckless driving.
“The driver engaged in irresponsible behavior that was likely to result in an accident,” an ASA statement reads. “We considered that the father's visibly nervous disposition when sitting in the car as a passenger and the loud indie rock soundtrack played throughout the ads contributed to the impression that the driver was irresponsible.”
“The overall message of the ad was of reliance on the vehicle's safety features to aid those who were likely to drive irresponsibly,” ASA adds. “We concluded that the dependency on the Advanced Safety Systems exaggerated the vehicle's safety features and the overall tone of the ad encouraged irresponsible driving.”
VW must re-edit the ad or shoot another, if they want any airtime on UK television.
Elena has been writing for a living since 2006 and, as a journalist, she has put her double major in English and Spanish to good use. She covers automotive and mobility topics like cars and bicycles, and she always knows the shows worth watching on Netflix and friends. Full profile
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