Ad description
A cinema ad, for an Audi R8 car, opened with a slow pan down the offside of the car. The car is attached to a static rolling road, which enabled the wheels of the car to turn without the car actually moving. The ad focused on a rear wheel which rapidly accelerated. The ad then focused on the engine situated in the rear of the car, as the car made sounds as it shifted through the gears. The car is heard reaching the rev limit before beginning to decelerate. As the car is heard slowing, the catalytic converters glowed orange before blue flames appeared from the exhaust. The camera then moved slowly away from the engine as it returned to tickover. A three-quarter rear view of the entire car was gradually revealed, before the ad closed with end cards, which conveyed the model and marque of the car.
Issue
The complainant challenged whether the ad was irresponsible, because it focused on the potential speed and power of the car.
Response
Volkswagen Group UK Ltd t/a Audi UK (Audi UK) said the main message of the ad was not speed or acceleration, but the quality of the design and engineering of the car. They said it was clear the main message of the ad was the design and engineering of the car, because the ad visually focused on the overall form of the car, there were close ups of the engineering of the engine and the car was positioned on a test bed rather than on a real road. Audi UK said having the car positioned on a test bed confirmed a viewer's impression that the ad was about Audi testing and perfecting the car's engineering and that showing the car not moving provided a scientific environment with nothing to suggest excitement, aggression or competitiveness.
Audi UK said the secondary message of the ad was the performance of the new dual clutch S-tronic gearbox and the car was shown accelerating and decelerating through the gears to highlight the performance of this new gearbox. Volkswagen said the section in the ad where the car accelerated represented only a third of the running time of the ad and the acceleration was to show the nature of gear changes with the car's S-tronic gearbox.
Audi UK proposed to make amendments to the ad to bring it in line with the Code.
The Cinema Advertising Association (CAA) said the main message of the ad was the engineering and finish of the car, both visual and mechanical. The CAA said that the power of the car was communicated through the sound of an un-muffled engine, but that they believed the sound of the engine alone would not be enough to breach the Code.
Assessment
Not upheld
The ASA noted that the car accelerated to high speeds in the ad and we understood that the blue flames omitted from the exhaust provided an image some consumers may associate with the speed and acceleration of the car. We further noted that the loud unmuffled sound of the engine, as the car accelerated through the gears, communicated the power of the car.
However, we noted that positioning the car on a test bed presented the car in a scientific and controlled environment devoid of aggression or competitiveness and highlighted that the main message of the ad was to exhibit Audi testing and perfecting the engineering of the car. We understood that Audi wanted to showcase the performance of a new gearbox and we understood that this could only be achieved by the car accelerating and decelerating through the gears. We also noted that the section of the ad where the car was shown accelerating only represented a third of the running time of the ad, whilst the rest of the ad focused on the design and form of the car and the engineering of the car's engine. We therefore concluded that the acceleration and speed of the car was not the main message of the ad and that the ad did not condone irresponsible or dangerous driving.
We investigated the ad under CAP Code rules 1.3 1.3 Marketing communications must be prepared with a sense of responsibility to consumers and to society. (Social responsibility) and 19.4 19.4 Marketers must not make speed or acceleration the main message of their marketing communications. Marketing communications may give general information about a vehicle's performance, such as acceleration and mid-range statistics, braking power, road-holding and top speed. (Motoring) but did not find a breach.
Action
No further action necessary.
