IKEA Ad Offends Viewers

The latest IKEA ad which features a “management consultant” illustrating how you can refurbish your office for around £8,000 has drawn a mass of complaints from viewers. The furniture retailer has now withdrawn the ad.

In the ad the woman insinuates that if an office assistant is sacked then the refurbishment can be afforded. Almost 400 hundred people complained that the campaign was unacceptable in a perceived climate of job insecurity, with a number reporting that they had either been made redundant or had close friends or relatives who had. A small number were also concerned that managers might take seriously the suggestion offered.

The ITC was satisfied that the ad was supposed to be humorous but, given the number of complaints, it welcomed the voluntary action to withdraw the commercial. The complaints were not upheld.

…The ITC has also issued a warning about the “unsatisfactory standard of on-scene text used in advertisements. BT, Comet and Royal Bank of Scotland Mastercard all caused viewer complaints, which were upheld by the ITC, due to the “small print” used during broadcast.

The Commission states that the small print must meet the standards set by the ITC or the ad is “almost certainly illegal.”

ITC: 0171 255 3000