Eurotunnel forced to pull ‘disrespectful’ Suzuki ad

Eurotunnel has been forced to pull an outdoor campaign from Suzuki after the French Customs Office complained that it was disrespectful.

The ad, which was displayed at the entrance to the tunnel in Folkestone, showed a French customs official pulling on a pair of pink rubber gloves next to the strapline “Time for a Swift exit”. It broke on September 10 and was supposed to run until the end of the year.

The activity was part of the “Swift exit” campaign created by Suzuki’s advertising agency Nexus/h to promote the company’s Swift model.

The campaign, which initially broke over the summer, featured scenarios from which people would want to make swift exits.

Other executions included press ads showing a best man who had lost the wedding rings and two girls wearing the same dress at a party. All used the “Time for a Swift exit” strapline.

Suzuki general marketing manager Darren Ponsford says: “We are very disappointed. The whole campaign is humorous and this was a topical ad [because so many people are travelling to France for the Rugby World Cup]. It was meant to be a bit of fun and make people smile.”

Suzuki was only notified after the ad had been removed. Eurotunnel and JC Decaux, which operates the site, had seen the ad before it broke.

Nexus/h has confirmed it is working on a new execution for the site that will run for the rest of the year.