One Pathetic Complaint Got This Amazing Audi R8 Advert Banned

The Advertising Standards Agency has ruled that Audi's 'The Eye' R8 advert cannot be shown on TV in the UK, as it links speed with excitement

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.

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Comments

ThatWeirdGinger

IT’S ON A RACETRACK YOU BLITHERING IDIOT, WHERE SPEED IS ALL THAT MATTERS.

08/18/2016 - 14:53 |
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Monty4248

Would it happen of it were a tesla. No gears, no noise, blur out the dash.

08/20/2016 - 04:52 |
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Anonymous

Probably because they were scared lol. It can smoke all their cars

08/22/2016 - 18:40 |
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iCypher(Joel Chan)

The complainer who sent the complaint: Complete muppet.

08/24/2016 - 07:58 |
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Anonymous

British don’t like fun.they always ban the good advert like gt86 ad.and jaguar ad

08/24/2016 - 12:19 |
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TheMustangMan (スバルチーム)

Does this car excite you? Yes? Ban the advert.

09/13/2016 - 12:49 |
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RodriguezRacer456 (Aventador SV) (Lambo Squad)

Someone tag Chrysler Pacifica (Car-pitalist) to make this into a comic

09/20/2016 - 00:35 |
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XSEAN

Good creative commercials gets banned for BS reasons. Crappy buy our drug that solves one problem and give you 50+ side effect doesn’t get banned

09/25/2016 - 14:05 |
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Anonymous

so what if someone gets offended. theyll get offended!!! they cant do anything. Audi is acting like real pu5555ies here

09/25/2016 - 14:29 |
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Anonymous

Yup! we live on over pussified times where everithing is offensive to someone…no wonder Europe screwed…

09/25/2016 - 14:35 |
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