ASA Ruling on Jaguar Land Rover Ltd
Jaguar Land Rover Ltd
Abbey Road
Whitley
Coventry
CV3 4LF
Date:
16 July 2014
Media:
Internet (video)
Sector:
Motoring
Number of complaints:
1
Agency:
Spark44 London
Complaint Ref:
A14-265925
Ad
A video ad, on Jaguar Land Rover Ltd's YouTube channel, titled "The Art of Villainy" was presented as part of Jaguar's "GoodToBeBad" ad campaign. The ad featured actor Tom Hiddleston playing a suave villain and his character talked about the factors that made a good villain. The ad featured the character driving a Jaguar F-Type in an underground car park and on a public road.
Issue
The complainant, who believed the ad featured and encouraged unsafe driving, challenged whether the ad was socially irresponsible.
CAP Code (Edition 12)
Response
Jaguar Land Rover Ltd said that the ad was one of a sequence featuring well-known British actors playing fictional British villains and that they were filmed in such a way that emulated Hollywood film qualities. They said the ad featuring Tom Hiddleston (which was the subject of this complaint) was set, almost entirely, in an underground car park and that during this time the car barely moved. They said there was a brief revving of the engine following the character speaking of 'sounding like a villain' and a brief moment where another car (containing Tom's nemesis) briefly slid (at a slow pace) following Tom's character releasing a water spray on the floor of the car park with a James Bond like remote control device.
They believed the ad focused on the appearance of the car both internally and externally along with the engine performance, adaptive dynamics and the array of technology. They said that when the car left the car park towards the end of the ad, it was shown travelling at normal road speeds and accelerated briefly along The Embankment. They said that although no specific speed was shown, the police were present during filming and the speed limit was not exceeded. They believed the brief moment of acceleration that was shown was not excessive and was not the main message of the ad.
Assessment
Upheld
The ASA considered the ad focused on the appearance of the car and how its style mirrored that of the character being played by Tom Hiddleston who was clearly presented as a sophisticated and cultured villain who was matched by the sophistication of the car in both its appearance and performance. We therefore considered that although the ad featured direct and implied references to speed, it was not the primary focus.
However, acceleration and speed did feature in the ad when the car was shown driving up the ramp to exit the underground car park and when it was shown being driven on a public road at night. The noise of acceleration and the speed with which the car went up the ramp in the car park appeared to suggest significant speed within an enclosed environment. We also considered significant speed was suggested when the car accelerated on the public road after the character said "Now brace yourselves" and again when the car exited a tunnel and sped away from other cars on the road. Whilst on-screen text stated "Professional driver. Closed course. Always obey speed limits", we considered the overall impression consumers would take from those scenes was of a car being driven on a public road (with other cars present) at speed and that the on-screen text would not negate that impression. Whilst we acknowledged the sequences were brief, we considered that the second part of the ad suggested that the car was being driven at excessive speeds and that the ad therefore encouraged irresponsible driving.
We considered the ad under CAP Code (Edition 12) rule 19.4 (Motoring) but did not find it in breach.
The ad breached CAP Code (Edition 12) rules 4.4 (Harm and offence), 19.2 and 19.3 (Motoring).
Action
The ad must not appear again in its current form. We told Jaguar Land Rover Ltd not to portray speed or driving behaviour that might encourage motorists to drive irresponsibly in future.
