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“Dangerous” dancing Ad banned by ASA

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A recent TV spot for the new Toyota Yaris has been pulled from the airwaves (and the internet) indefinitely after the watchdogs at the Advertising Standards Authority (AVA) deemed that the spot, in which drivers are seen 'dancing' behind the wheel to a Bruno Mars song, actively encouraged dangerous driving. The final straw came courtesy of the 73 complaints received from viewers, who felt that the ad, which has appeared on UK TV, the ITV Player and YouTube, and was created by Saatchi & Saatchi, promoted irresponsible driving. However, ITV spoke up to claim that no viewers had complained to its Viewer Services, and YouTube agreed. Even so, the ad won't be appearing again on either platforms in its current form.

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Whilst Toyota argued that the Women in the spot doesn't close her eyes whilst driving, many viewers (and the ASA) disagreed

The primary fault picked out in the ad was one driver supposedly closing her eyes at once point in the clip. Whilst Toyota argued that the Women in the spot doesn't close her eyes whilst driving, many viewers (and the ASA) disagreed. You can judge for yourself below (around the 23 second mark). Toyota also said that as the Yaris is a small car, the message of the ad was that it can navigate through narrow roads with ease, and that the streets were clear of normal traffic levels and all road signs had been changed to reflect this. The argument is that the spot doesn't depict normal driving circumstances, and that the speed limit was adhered to at all times. They also made the point that all drivers shown in the video kept a hand on the wheel at all times, and that UK law doesn't require drivers to have two hands on the wheel at all times.

 

The banned Toyota Yaris spot by Saatchi & Saatchi

Still, this obviously wasn't enough evidence for the ASA, who considered that whilst it was true that there were few other road users and pedestrians on the ad, this would actually prove detrimental, as they felt “Viewers would believe that the ad was set on real urban roads and reflected real-life driving conditions.” They admitted that “Enjoying and moving around to music in a car” wasn't necessarily irresponsible behaviour, but said they “Had concerns that some of the drivers were not shown paying due attention to the road, and instead appeared to be easily distracted by their passengers and the music.” They concluded: “Because we considered that some of the featured drivers were not shown paying due attention to the road, we concluded that the ad condoned and encouraged dangerous driving and was therefore irresponsible.”

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We considered that some of the featured drivers were not shown paying due attention to the road and concluded that the ad condoned and encouraged dangerous driving.” The ASA

Toyota might have taken a blow with this news, but they're not letting that stop the forward momentum they have recently gained with their Yaris range. They will be unveiling a new wide-body “DUB Edition” Yaris at the SEMA custom car show in Las Vegas next week. According to DUB Magazine's Myles Kovacs, the new model was designed and built by DUB and 3D Conceptz, in collaborating with TS Designs, and is “Wider, sleeker and lower,” than the original Yaris, “Yet modest enough to look as if it was rolled out of the factory this way.”

Benjamin Hiorns is a freelance writer and musician from Kidderminster in the UK. He doesn't dance, period. Let alone behind the wheel. He has been known to have a wee sing-song on occasion though.

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