ASA turns down requests to investigate Vauxhall ad

The latest Vauxhall campaign for the Meriva model, starring two “little dads”, has been reported to the advertising regulator for being “irresponsible”. The ad features the two young boys using a jack to lift up the front of the car.

The campaign, created by DDB London, shows the boys lifting the car and checking the wheels while the mother looks on.

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) will not be investigating the complaints because it says that the ad would not generally hold a strong appeal for children, and therefore it was unlikely to lead to emulation.

*The ASA has upheld complaints from Ryanair against rival easyJet for promoting its “lowest price guarantee.”

The ASA has ruled the easyJet ads are “misleading” because the budget airline had failed to prove that customers had been able to take up the offer. The ad showed an orange egg timer with the text: “Our best summer fares are disappearing fast. Prices from £19.99 single inc. taxes!”Ryanair complained that the ads were misleading because the terms and conditions that applied to the “lowest price guarantee” were too restrictive to enable comparisons with other flights.

The ASA has also upheld complaints against a press ad for the Saab BioPower range of cars over green claims. It says: “Bioethanol consumption does not significantly raise atmospheric levels of CO2.”

The ad, created by Lowe London, shows two parallel horseshoe prints and tyre marks and says: “More horsepower. And a smaller carbon footprint.”

The ad attracted three complaints and the ASA has ruled that the claim was not presented as a comparison with conventional petrol and was therefore likely to mislead.

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