ASA Adjudication on Unilever Ireland Ltd

Ad

A TV ad, for Sure Girl deodorant, showed three young women dancing while seated in the back of a moving vehicle. Two of the teenagers moved away from the one in the middle holding their noses. On-screen text stated "The fun stops when the sweat starts". The scene changed to a bathroom where the young woman was sprayed with deodorant. The voice-over said "Sure Girl keeps you fresh all day so you can keep having fun. Sure Girl. It won't let you down". The three teenagers were shown close together in the back of the vehicle, posing for a photograph.

Issue

21 viewers believed the ad was irresponsible because the teenagers were shown dancing in a moving vehicle without wearing seatbelts.  The viewers believed the ad condoned and encouraged dangerous behaviour.

BCAP TV Code

Response

Unilever UK (Unilever) said the ad was broadcast only in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland by their sister company Unilever Ireland Ltd.  They said Unilever Ireland had told them the ad was filmed from the front of a stationary vintage VW van using a hand-held camera; they said the motion of the van was the result of the teenagers jumping about. They said, because the van was a vintage model, it did not have fitted rear seatbelts, which they understood were not required in vehicles of that age.  Unilever said it had not been Unilever Irelands intention to upset viewers and, although they did not believe the ad breached the Code, the ad was withdrawn when they were made aware of viewers' concerns.

Clearcast said they raised the question of seatbelts when they saw a pre-production script, but the ad had already been made.  However, they believed that, once they saw the ad, it did not look as if the vehicle was moving and, because the agency told them the van was too old to have seatbelts fitted, they approved the ad.

Assessment

Upheld

The ASA welcomed Unilever Irelands action to remove the ad as a result of viewers concerns.  We acknowledged that the van was stationary but considered that the movement of the vehicle, which was the result of the teenagers dancing, gave the impression that it was in motion.  We also understood that, because of the age of the van, seatbelts were not fitted or required but we considered that it was unclear from the ad what type of vehicle was being used.  We considered that viewers were likely to expect passengers to be wearing seatbelts in what appeared to be a moving vehicle, regardless of the age of the van.   We concluded that, because the ad gave the impression that the teenagers were dancing in a moving vehicle without wearing seat belts, the ad was likely to be seen to condone or encourage, an unsafe practice.

The ad breached CAP (Broadcast) TV Advertising Standards Code rules 6.7 (Health and safety), 7.4.2 (Physical harm) and 11.9.1 (Driving standards).

Action

The ad should not be shown again in its current form.

Adjudication of the ASA Council (Broadcast)