One Pathetic Complaint Got This Amazing Audi R8 Advert Banned
It’s rare to hear any engine noise on a car advert in the UK, so to have a 5.2-litre V10 wailing amidst all the crap about pay day loans and esoteric perfume commercials was very welcome indeed. It was all thanks to Audi’s ‘The Eye’ advert, featuring the second-generation R8, but sadly, it’s just been banned. Why? Because one person complained to the Advertising Standards Authority.
As we explained before when Honda’s ‘Keep Up’ advert was banned, the amount of complaints doesn’t really matter: if something which breaches the strict ‘Broadcast Committee of Advertising Practice Code’ is brought to the ASA’s attention, it gets the ban hammer out. And in the case of ‘The Eye’, the ASA upheld a complaint that alleged the advert “linked speed with excitement”.
In the ASA’s ruling, the organisation stated:
“Audi said they disagreed that the ad linked speed with excitement or that it was irresponsible. They said the ad was not about speed and was carefully shot (with cars travelling at speeds of less than 30 mph) and edited to avoid giving any impression of speed. Consequently, if the ad had shown excitement, it would not be linked with speed. However, Audi said the ad did not show excitement, as the dilating and contracting pupil denoted concentration and focus, which was a documented scientific phenomenon.”
The ASA disagreed with VW Group/Audi’s response, stating that: “The ad breached BCAP Code rules 1.2 (Social responsibility) and 20.3 (Rules for motoring advertisements),” the problem being that “several upward changes of gear could be heard and we considered that, without clear visual context…it was likely to be interpreted by viewers as quick acceleration.”
As a result, all that lovely V10 noise - packaged up in a slick, clever advert - has been removed from our screens. So, a hearty “thanks bro” goes out to nannying advertising regulations, and whoever had enough time on their hands to complain about an advert that really wasn’t irresponsible.
Growing up on a diet of World Rally Championship highlights and lengthy Gran Turismo 2 sessions, a life in cars was as good as inevitable for Matt.
Comments
Everyone who deals with car adverts in the ASA should be fired and replaced with people who actually know things about cars
This one complain law makes no sense, so you put an advert out, and someone working for a rival car company can ban the ad just by claiming it gave the “impression of speed”?
We lovers of speed are an endangered species
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3dRRp-BaXgY
I haven’t seen this in forever! I remember getting the chills the first time watching it years ago
That advert was filmed in my city Montevideo (Uruguay)
Lol in America we have ads with cars doing burnouts and donuts.
How irresponsible! lel DO IT AGAIN!!! :-D
Look at the lights reflecting off the eye, and the kerbs at the end of the ad.
This Audi is on an effing racetrack.
—facepalm—
That sucks for you guys . Over here in the states we have advertisements that link speed with excitement and have loud engines and no one cares. Some examples are Dodge and Jaguar.
Meanwhile and America audi advertises the r8 and rs7 with their top speed and horsepower ratings.
I thought this was going to say “it was banned because someone somewhere thought that the pupil expanding and contracting had something to do with drugs” Written by someone who was high at the time….
that is a fantastic advert
Well as an American all I have to say to you European’s is instead of complaining about the person who made the complaint you should be more worried about how far your government can reach into your life how much they know about you how much they can control and maybe actually do something about it.
You have that globalist Regine call the European Union and most of your countries gave them everything gave them the power to control their own citizens their own government and their own finances and monetary assets .
For what so it’ll be easier for you to pass from one country to the other or so you don’t have to converter currency from one country to another gave up all your rights and any Liberties that you actually have left over there because you’re too lazy walk to the bank and convert currency when traveling , was it really worth it at this point more foreigners have more rights in your own country than you , and you were born there and your family possibly even fought for…..