Updated 9.00pm
IRELAND’S ADVERTISING WATCHDOG has upheld a complaint against a Denny ad that it deemed was encouraging dangerous driving.
In the ad, the first screen shows a caption reading: “We helped Kieran and Laura come home from Australia. Bringing their new baby to Ireland for the first time.”
It then goes on to show a grandmother getting ready at home for the couple to arrive, while the grandfather makes the journey out the the airport to collect them.
In the ad the grandfather is shown driving back to their home with the Kieran and Laura along with their new daughter, his granddaughter.
During the course of the drive home he looks into the rearview mirror to take a look at his granddaughter.
What’s wrong with that?
A complaint made to the Advertising Standards Authority for Ireland (ASAI) said that the driver taking his eyes off the road to look at his granddaughter in the backseat was encouraging bad driving.
The person writing in thought that the driver’s actions broke with the Road Safety
Authorities (RSA) safety message “Don’t lose a lifetime looking back”.
Complaint upheld
Responding to the complaint, Denny said that as a family brand family safety was of the utmost importance to them.
While the company acknowledged the concerns, it also said that there was significant differences between what is depicted in the advertisement and the RSA’s campaign.
After consultation with the RSA, the ASAI found that while it had not been the intention of the advertiser to condone unsafe driving, the driving in the ad did show unsafe practices.
As such, it ruled that it should not be used in its current format again.
- Correction: This article originally incorrectly stated that the advertisement in question was for Kerrygold. Denny is owned by the Kerry Group.
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