Ad description
A radio ad for a car began with a mock weather forecast which stated, "Overnight snow has brought severe disruption to much of the country. The Met Office has warned drivers ...". The volume was turned down before the sentence was completed and a voice-over stated, "Time to play". The sound of a car was heard being unlocked remotely with wind blowing in the background and snow crunching under foot. As the car started, an electronic voice said "Snow mode activated". The voice-over then stated, "Make winter your favourite sport with Jeep. This season, get the new Jeep Cherokee".
Issue
Six complainants objected that the ad was irresponsible because it portrayed driving in poor conditions as fun and therefore encouraged unsafe driving practices.
Response
Fiat Group Automobiles UK Ltd (t/a Jeep UK) believed that the succinct nature of radio ads, especially when they were required to include compulsory finance and offer wording, such as was the case in this instance should be considered as part of the context of the limitations of the offer that could be conveyed in an ad of this nature. They also said the ad was part of a larger campaign intended to promote the vehicle by offering the reassurance of its snow mode 4x4 facilities for use in winter driving.
They said it was never their intention to imply that driving in poor conditions was "fun" and believed the ad did not seek to encourage, nor actually encourage, unsafe driving practices. They said "Time to play" in the voice-over alluded to the fact that this particular vehicle was ideal for winter conditions, thus enabling the driver and passengers to more easily travel to, and partake in, winter activities, such as winter sports. They explained that care was taken to separate the words "Time to play" from the engine. They also said that the words were not said inside the car and that subsequently, on ignition, only the gentle revving of the engine was heard. They added that the second part of the voice-over "Make winter your favourite sport with Jeep. This season, get the new Jeep Cherokee …" reinforced the message that this particular vehicle was ideal for winter conditions, thus enabling the driver and passengers to more easily travel and partake in winter activities, for example winter sports. They believed there was nothing in the ad to suggest the driver was about to travel at speed, for example, into inclement conditions and that no speeding or revving was heard to imply dangerous driving. They added that the sound effects implied reasonable driving of a vehicle with a performance mode designed specifically for snowy driving conditions. They explained that this particular model of Jeep Cherokee had the technical capabilities to cope with the adverse conditions which they believed were implied by the ad and that it was one of the best vehicles in its class in terms of all weather conditions because of the introduction of three new 4WD systems. They further stated that the Jeep Selec-Terrain system, with up to five selectable modes, provided the best 4WD (four-wheel drive) performance for any road or weather conditions and that full details of the vehicle's specifications were available to consumers on their website.
They believed the Met Office warning at the beginning of the ad provided a background imagery of a snow affected country in which the Jeep was designed to operate in safely (in Snow Mode) but that it did not make a reference to dangerous driving conditions. They believed listeners would therefore not be encouraged to drive in dangerous conditions. They added that the ad had been timed to run following the scheduled weather reports on the radio stations on which it was broadcast. Finally, they explained that whilst the Met Office issued weather warnings which may include warnings of disruption, it was the domain of the Highways Agency to issue warnings not to travel. They believed it was therefore clear that the driver in the ad was able to travel in the scenario because he had a vehicle with a suitable technical capability.
They said that since 1941, the Jeep brand had been synonymous with 4WD vehicles, and said that although models without 4WD were available, the majority of Jeeps sold in the UK were indeed 4WD. They stated that the ad highlighted the fact that the car had a specific snow mode which not all 4WD vehicles on the UK market possess, and that this was the whole point of the ad. They believed that given Jeep's reputation and heritage, its target audience would understand and appreciate the merits and capabilities resulting from the high specification of the model advertised.
The RACC said that, at the time of clearance, they considered that the ad would be seen as promoting a 4WD in the context of enjoying the driving, including in the snow. They believed the majority of listeners would understand the content, style and tone of the ad would not encourage dangerous driving and therefore endorsed Jeep UK's position.
Assessment
Upheld
The ASA considered that listeners would understand from the introductory section of the ad, which sounded like a weather forecast and included references to "severe disruption" and the incomplete statement "The Met Office has warned drivers ...", that, due to snow there had been significant disruption to the country, including its roads, and that drivers were being advised to take care. We therefore considered that the "Time to play" line spoken by the character, which immediately followed the weather report, along with the sound of the character walking in the snow and getting into the car, would be understood by listeners as a decision to leave the house and drive in the Jeep based on the implied references to the driving conditions.
We considered that in this context, the words "Time to play" would be understood as a reference to the fun derived from driving in the potentially dangerous conditions using the 'Snow Mode' on the vehicle and that this was further suggested by the voice-over stating "Make winter your favourite sport". Whilst we understood the Snow Mode on the vehicle was specifically designed for snowy conditions, we were concerned that the conditions in the ad were presented as potentially dangerous, rather than just snowy, and that the ad implied that driving the Jeep in those conditions was fun. Whilst we considered the ad did not encourage all drivers to take enjoyment from driving in dangerous conditions regardless of their vehicle, we considered that the ad suggested that driving the Jeep using the Snow Mode in dangerous winter conditions for the purposes of fun was acceptable and that it subsequently encouraged unsafe driving practices. We therefore concluded that the ad breached the Code.
The ad breached BCAP Code rules 1.2 1.2 Advertisements must be prepared with a sense of responsibility to the audience and to society. (Social responsibility) and 20.1 20.1 Advertisements must not condone or encourage dangerous, competitive, inconsiderate or irresponsible driving or motorcycling. Advertisements must not suggest that driving or motorcycling safely is staid or boring. and 20.5 20.5 Motoring advertisements must not exaggerate the benefit of safety features to consumers or suggest that a vehicle's features enable it to be driven or ridden faster or in complete safety. (Motoring).
Action
The ad should not appear again in its current form. We told Jeep UK to avoid content that could be understood to encourage dangerous driving.
