ASA Adjudication on Unilever UK Ltd

Ad

An internet banner ad, for Peperami salami, appeared on Brand Republic’s website and stated “$10 000 TO KILL ME IN THE MOST CREATIVE WAY”. A cartoon Peperami was shown holding a sign that stated “ASSISTED SUICIDE”.

Issue

The complainant objected that the ad was likely to cause distress and serious offence, in particular to those who had related personal experiences, in light of recent public debates about assisted suicide.

CAP Code (Edition 11)

Response

Unilever UK Ltd (Unilever) said they had taken an unorthodox approach to developing their new ad campaign for the Peperami brand; members of the public were asked to submit their ideas in response to a formal brief and the individuals who submitted the successful ideas for print and TV ads would each receive a bounty of $5,000.  They said the concept was suited to the brand because its creative format was well established; Peperami advertising was known for the ever-more creative ways in which the character, the Peperami Animal, harmed or killed himself in preparation to be eaten.  To that end, the audience was invited to submit their ideas for the most creative way in which to kill an infamous sadist, i.e. they were invited to assist his suicide.   

Unilever said the ad appeared in media specific to the ad industry, which was selected to ensure the ad reached a highly creative audience, rather than the general public, in the hope that many would take up the creative challenge.  They acknowledged the ad would have been seen by a wide range of people and a small number might be offended but believed it was unlikely to cause serious or widespread offence. They believed visitors to the Brand Republic website were likely to be aware of the history of Peperami advertising and the Peperami Animals sadistic tendencies and would understand the humorous tone of the ad as well as the deliberate and topical play on words.  Unilever said, although it was a sensitive matter, they felt the reference to assisted suicide was justified in the context.       

Brand Republic said they thought the ad was suitable for their readers because it was very specific to the particular campaign and clearly related to the Peperami cartoon.  They believed it did not contain anything that was likely to cause serious offence or fear and were not aware of having received any complaints directly.

Assessment

Not upheld

The ASA acknowledged that assisted suicide was a sensitive issue and was distressing for those affected by it.  We noted the ad was targeted specifically at those who might want to enter the competition and considered most members of the public who saw it would understand that the ad used a play on words intended to refer to the competition, and its brief.  We considered viewers were likely to find the concept of assisting the suicide of an item of food ridiculous rather than offensive or distressing.  We noted some might find the ad distasteful but concluded it was unlikely to cause distress or serious or widespread offence.    

We investigated the ad under CAP Code clauses 5.1 and 5.2 (Decency) and 9.1 (Fear and distress) but did not find it in breach.

Action

No further action necessary.

Adjudication of the ASA Council (Non-broadcast)