ITC Condemns Copy Cat Commercials

The ITC has condemned adverts that “encourage or condone harmful emulation” after more than 100 viewers complained that an advert showing a rabbit in a tumble-dryer could be copied by children.

The ITC upheld complaints against the ad, which featured a cartoon rabbit emerging unharmed from a tumble-dryer, on the grounds that younger children were unlikely to understand the consequences of such an act and could be encouraged to copy it.

The BACC, which had allowed the ad to be shown, explained that it did not consider the ad to encourage or condone harmful behaviour and did not believe that a child could come to any harm as a result of the ad. However, the ITC felt that younger children could see the “very realistic” animation as a real rabbit and would not appreciate the effects of putting a real pet in a tumble-dryer. The ITC concluded that the ad was not suitable for broadcast during children’s programmes and recommended that it only be shown after the 9pm watershed.

The ITC also received 107 complaints from viewers claiming that an ad for Toyota, which showed a young schoolgirl waving to her mother whilst getting in the back of another parent’s car, could encourage children to go off with strangers.

The ITC expressed concern that advertising does not encourage children to talk to strangers, but concluded that the ad was unlikely to have a harmful influence on young viewers as “it was clear that the child knew the driver well.” The authority rejected claims that the girl’s statement, “Shut up and drive” was condoning bad manners and did not uphold the complaints.

ITC: 020 7306 7743 www.itc.org.uk

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