Ford Mustang Advert Banned For Apparently Encouraging Dangerous Driving

The UK's Advertising Standards Authority banned Ford's Mustang cinema commercial following 12 complaints

Take a look at the video above. Seems fairly innocuous, doesn’t it? If you ask the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), however, and the 12 people who somehow found the time to complain about the cinema-aired advert, and you’ll be told it encourages using “driving as a way of relieving anger”. Erm, does it?

Ford’s response to the complaints was that the “intention was to contrast the everyday frustrations of work life with the freedom of driving a new Ford Mustang,” the ASA report states. The organisation disagreed, however, taking particular exception to the manner in which the Mustang was driven out of the car park nearer the end of the advert.

Ford Mustang Advert Banned For Apparently Encouraging Dangerous Driving

The ASA even had an issue with the recital of the famous Dylan Thomas poem ‘Do not go gentle into that goodnight’. Specifically, with the line “Rage. Rage, against the dying of the light”. The ASA said that parts of the poem “further reinforced that [releasing pent-up aggression while driving] by encouraging motorists to drive in an aggressive manner.”

The advert was deemed to have broken CAP (Committees of Advertising Practice) code 19.2, which states that “Marketing communications must not condone or encourage unsafe or irresponsible driving”. The advert can’t be shown again in its current form (although it is - at time of writing - still on YouTube), and Ford has been warned “that their advertising must not encourage unsafe driving.”

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Comments

H4R1S_01

BAN ALL GOOD CAR ADS

10/25/2018 - 13:13 |
1 | 1
White Comet

I think those 12 people are Old Liberal Ladies in their 50s

10/25/2018 - 14:44 |
1 | 0
Anonymous

Reasons to not live in the UK reason number 13: they do this shit

10/25/2018 - 14:59 |
2 | 0
Anonymous

Someone should make a short movie
using this advert like it’s a wake up call for humans and overlords freaking out and banning this

“they are among us” type movie !

10/25/2018 - 15:41 |
1 | 0
Jia the Supra Fanboy

That’s stupid. If you changed the V8 soundtrack during those car park scenes to something lame and tame, it wouldn’t be aggressive in the slightest.

10/25/2018 - 17:36 |
2 | 0
CatHat

more censorship. nice

10/25/2018 - 17:41 |
1 | 0
James 33

Wait what about the Prius super bowl commercial where they are running from the police? Wut

10/25/2018 - 17:56 |
2 | 0

This is the UK, not USA

10/25/2018 - 23:12 |
3 | 0
RodriguezRacer456 (Aventador SV) (Lambo Squad)

Car in advert: [Revs slightly over 4000 rpm]

ASA:

10/25/2018 - 18:06 |
4 | 0
Matthew Henderson

Another one… just like the Alpine commercial

10/25/2018 - 18:30 |
1 | 0
Anonymous

Well I don t know but trust me there are people that are living just to complain and sometimes they ask for something free maybe if ford give them 50 bucks they stop complaining

10/25/2018 - 18:57 |
1 | 0