ASA Adjudication on Holidayextras Ltd

Ad

An internet viral ad for airport car parking, which appeared in paid-for space on the website www.kontraband.com, featured the comedian Paul Kaye. It showed a fence with a home-made sign that read "ca parkin" and subtitles underneath stated "Luxurious airport parking service". Paul Kaye was seen stumbling out of a caravan and appeared to be drunk; he was then shown smoking and swearing as he chased after children and threw a chair at them.

As he spoke with a strong Irish accent, subtitles appeared throughout the ad that showed a more polite interpretation of his words. They stated "Good day and welcome to our airport car park"; "When you go on holiday there's no safer place to leave your car … Our qualified staff will treat your car as if it is one of their own". He appeared to kick a car and punch the driver and subtitles stated "Just pop it in the space over there please Parker"; "There's a good chap"; "We're a family company with years of experience in vehicle security". A tray of cans of beer was brought to him and he opened one, spraying foam. The subtitles stated "Seamus! … You forgot to mention our complimentary valet service"; "We'll Make [sic] sure no one steals your car". A car was then shown with its wheels missing and standing on blocks. The subtitles continued, "We'll get you to the airport in style … and on time" and Paul Kaye was shown with a passenger on a cart pulled by a donkey. The subtitles continued "So, even if you don't leave your car with us … Be sure to let us know when you're away".

A family were then shown, with a car on fire in the background; text on-screen read "Murphy's holiday car park"; labels showed a hand in the shape of a 'thumbs-up' and further text that stated "100% security". A blue screen then showed further text that stated "Park your worries with your car."; the Holiday Extras logo then appeared with text that said "Airport parking and hotels, done right". Paul Kaye was shown inside a caravan, calling a customer. He said "sorry to bother you on holiday … there's been a slight problem with your Mondeo".

Issue

The complainant objected that the ad was offensive because it was racist towards Irish and Romany travelers.

CAP Code

Response

Holiday Extras said they did not intend to cause offence and were concerned about any distress they may have caused. They said the conceptual aim of the ad, which they did not believe was offensive, was to show a light hearted and extreme contrast between Holiday Extras attention to customer service, trust and security and those companies who placed less of an emphasis on those qualities. They felt the internet made it easy for companies to claim "we are the best for airport parking" but the text in the ad " ... a family run company", " ... theres no safer place to leave your car" and "well get you to the airport in style ... and on time" reflected Holiday Extras values. They said the ad had been viewed over 70,000 times via kontraband.com, their own website and an online video site.

Flamedigital, the agency that created the ad, said they were also concerned and apologised for any offence caused. They said they had taken steps to ensure people would not be offended and the character was created to highlight, in a light-hearted and comical way, a real concern people could have when leaving their cars behind to go on holiday. They said he was an extreme caricature who he bore little or no resemblance to reality because his actions were so far removed from what would be considered normal behavior. Flamedigital said neither they, nor Holiday Extras, had received any other complaints about the ad.

Assessment

Not upheld

The ASA noted the ad was intended to show a humorous contrast between a fictional caricature and a company that valued security.  We also noted Holiday Extras had not received any complaints.  We considered, because the character kicked a car and was drinking beer while running a business, for example, the ad presented him as a fictional, extreme character; someone who was removed from reality. We noted the character spoke with a heavy Irish accent and ran his business from a caravan.  However, because he displayed extreme behaviour from which the humour in the ad was derived, we did not consider the ad suggested that behaviour was typical of Irish or Romany communities.

We understood that some people could find the ad in poor taste but concluded it was unlikely to cause serious or widespread offence.

We investigated the ad under CAP Code clause 5.1 (Decency) but did not find it in breach.

Action

No further action necessary.

Adjudication of the ASA Council (Non-broadcast)