Environmental campaigners have accused the UK advertising watchdog of bias for overturning a draft ruling that banned adverts for a mud-splattered Land Rover Defender offroader after previously saying it encouraged “socially irresponsible” driving that could “cause damage to vulnerable habitats”. Sources: The Guardian, Timberbiz
The national newspaper ad featured a Defender in a forest with the headline “Life is so much better without restrictions”.
Text accompanying the ad said the 4×4 had the “capacity to go almost anywhere and do anything. If you take one for an extended test drive … a whole new world of freedom awaits”.
The Advertising Standards Authority received 96 complaints, including from several environmental campaigning groups, that the ad was socially irresponsible for encouraging and condoning behaviour that could destroy ecologically sensitive environments, and was detrimental to the environment.
Jaguar Land Rover said the vehicle was depicted on an established track in a forest and was focused on increased freedom after the relaxation of Covid-19 restrictions, not irresponsible driving behaviour.
In the draft recommendation shared with complainants, the ASA, which in September said that it was going to crack down on marketing that encouraged environmentally irresponsible behaviour, ruled the ad should be banned.
However, final sign-off on a ruling is given by the 12-member ASA council, eight of whom are deemed “independent” of the media industry. The council decides whether or not ads have broken the advertising rules.
Its final ruling it reversed the draft recommendation and cleared the ad of breaking any UK advertising rules, saying that advertisers should “take care” when depicting vehicles in ecologically sensitive environments such as forests.
It added that untarmacked roads such as the one depicted in the ad were common in many rural areas, and 4×4 vehicles could be “vital in those communities”. “We therefore considered that the vehicle depicted in the ad was not being used irresponsibly … and that the ad was not socially irresponsible,” the ASA concluded. “No further action necessary”.
The watchdog said that the ASA council determined that the claims in the ad were about Covid-19 restrictions, not the environment.
