Easyjet Escapes Censure Over Congestion Charge Ads
The ASA has dismissed complaints made by Transport for London against a series of ads for Easyjet, which appeared to ridicule the congestion charge and the Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone.
Each of the ads, which launched to coincide with the introduction of the scheme in London, featured the official congestion charge logo and stated: “C is for cold and congested! Escape London’s living (stone) nightmare!” They then listed Easyjet’s special offers on flights out of the capital and compared the cost of the flights with the cost of the congestion charge.
Transport for London objected to the ads on the grounds that they used the congestion charge logo, which misleadingly implied that the campaign had the scheme’s official endorsement. It also complained that the ads unfairly denigrated Ken Livingstone and argued that it was misleading to compare the cost of flights with the congestion charge, as the cost of the charge varied amongst different groups.
In their defence, the advertisers argued that the campaign merely highlighted to Londoners that, for the cost of paying the congestion charge over a five day working week, they could fly to Europe.
Easyjet also claimed that its use of the congestion charge logo was merely to highlight the comparison between prices. It also claimed that the references to Ken Livingstone were not intended to offend and were simply a tongue-in-cheek play on words.
The ASA refused to hold up any of Transport for London’s complaints on the grounds that the ads would be seen as humorous. It further concluded that Easyjet’s identity on the ads was clear and that the public was unlikely to believe that the ads were official endorsed by Transport for London.
According to the ASA’s latest Annual Report, the regulatory body received a record 13,959 complaints over non-broadcast advertisements during 2002 (see Complaints Against Advertising Reach Record High).
ASA: 020 7580 5555 www.asa.org.uk
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