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Driver’s deadly visions okayed by advertising body

A disturbing ad featuring a young driver who sees visions of the people who are about to become accident victims because he was distracted has been given the all clear by the advertising watchdog.

The two minute ad targets inexperienced drivers at risk of being distracted by friends in the car.

The Advertising Standards Board was asked to rule on the ad after a complaint that it scared children watching it at the cinema before The Adventures of Tin Tin: “I took my two children – ages 3 and 8 to see the film and they were scared and horrified of the above advertisement. I had to cover their eyes while they cringed and tried not to hear it too.”

However, Transport Accident Commission Victoria argued: “”The creative style used, while confronting, does not breach acceptable community standards in consideration of the social harm that road trauma can cause.”

The ASB ruled: “The Board considered that while some of the images may be confronting and alarming to children, the community message being delivered in the advertisement was extremely important and that the target audience for this advertisement would relate to the advertisement.”

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