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BANK OF IRELAND has fallen foul of advertising standards after it ran an ad featuring illegal backyard burning.
The Advertising Standards Authority for Ireland (ASAI) has released its latest bulletin of complaints, which include the Bank of Ireland ad, a Volkswagen promotion which suggested that it was selling cars for €18.99 and Instagram influencers failing to clearly mark sponsored posts as advertisements.
The Bank of Ireland complaint concerned a TV ad which “featured a woman throwing a hippo-shaped money jar into a burning barrel angrily.
“The complainants objected to the depiction of a man and woman burning documents in the barrel and the burning of the hippo shaped money jar and considered that it normalised this illegal and environmentally damaging practice of backyard burning,” the bulletin said.
The ASAI ruled that the ad breached section 3.3 of its advertising code, which states: “Marketing communications should be prepared with a sense of responsibility to consumers and to society.”
A complaint was made about a Volkswagen sponsored article printed in the Irish Examiner. It referred to various offers on different Volkswagen models, and promoted the car maker’s “low-rate finance and service plans from €18.99 per month”, the bulletin said.
It continued: “The complainant considered the headline of the article to be misleading as they said it was not possible to buy a new Volkswagen for €18.99 a month, but that only the service plan and not the car itself could be purchased for this price.”
The ASAI said the sponsored article breached its code because it constituted misleading advertising.
Claims about ethically sourced gold on the website of a jewellery seller, The Jewellery House, were found to breach the code. The site included a number of claims including: “Our gold is sustainably mined in the deep Irish hills of Omagh” and “House of Lor gold is sourced ethically and is refined responsibly without the use of nasty chemicals.”
Several issues were identified with this, with the bulletin stating that “complainants considered the claims that the gold was Irish and from a gold mine in Ireland as misleading. They said that the mine was in Omagh, Northern Ireland, and classified as under control of the UK crown.”
Additionally, “Complainants stated that the ore produced at the mine was sold to a smelter and that the ore was mixed with other batches meaning the country of origin could not be guaranteed”.
Complainants also took issue with the company’s claim of ethically produced gold: “Complainants considered the claims that the gold was “sourced ethically and refined responsibly without the use of nasty chemicals” to be misleading as the processing of the ore used toxic processes and could not be considered ethical or green.
The company was found to have breached multiple points of the code.
Several complaints were made about various companies utilising Instagram influencers to promote their products. The makers of The Wine Opener, a product designed to make opening a bottle of wine easier, were found to have breached the advertising code because an influencer did not make sufficiently clear that their post about the product was a marketing communication.
An Instagram story by the influencer depicted them using the product and included a number of statements including: “I’m so happy that I’m working with Wine Opener” and “Shop Wine Opener here.”
The complainant said the advertisement was misleading as it was not clearly identified as a marketing communication.
The Dublin Meat Company was also pulled up on its use of Instagram influencers: while the influencer marketing the product did state in a static post that they were being sponsored by the company, posts on their Instagram story did not.
Meal delivery service Hello Fresh also fell foul of rules around Instagram influencers disclosing sponsorship by companies.
Commenting on the latest ASAI rulings, Orla Twomey, Chief Executive of the ASAI, said: “The ASAI fully investigates all complaints thoroughly to ensure that they are legal, truthful, decent and honest for all Irish consumers.”
“The ASAI also provides a free and confidential copy advice service to the advertising industry to help them create responsible ads that adhere to the advertising code. If an advertiser, agency, or medium has any concerns about a marketing communications’ compliance with the ASAI’s Code, they can contact us and avail of the free and confidential copy advice service.”
The latest bulletin is available to read here.
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If the BOI wanted an ad to get real publicity, they could’ve depicted bank workers shredding documents during the crash!
@Mawbawsa Ritchie: to be fair , BOI did a splendid job with their famous student loan ad back in the early 2000s where students would lie through their teeth about the purpose of a loan and no background checks were done to see if they could afford that loan . Bank manager was a total ledge with his wink and smile telling the customer that it would be no problem . That was pretty realistic of f reckless lending back then .
Based on this article, it appears that the primary function of the ASAI is to prevent people being offended by their own false perceptions or from being victims of their own gullibility.
Did the depicting of backyard burning barrel cause an epidemic of dim people to follow suit in their own gardens, leading to their unknowingly breaking the law? I think not.
Did numerous people actually attempt to buy a volkswagan for less than €19, only to find out the couldn’t? If so, is that the fault of the advertising or their own stupidity?
If the overall level of intellectual capacity has diminished this much, does everything in life now really need a warning or disclaimer to protect the dumbest people in society from themselves?
If so, we are obviously doomed as a species.
@Dvsespaña: In this case it’s not a matter of protecting people from themselves. It’s a matter of not seeming to normalise backyard burning and the pollution that results from it.
If an ad featured people fly-tipping, for example, the same considerations would apply.
@Dvsespaña: No the ASAI is to stop EVERY company ( & gobchite on social media) from advertising false/fake/misleading claims, if they let a few ads go without being pulled where would it end.
@Brendan O’Brien: Ok, so lets unpack this further, if a television program features backyard burning or fly tipping is it also normalised?
Will people that wouldn’t have otherwise burnt rubbish in their yard, now be transformed into backyard pyromaniacs just by seeing it depicted?
If people today are now that susceptible to being lead to do things just because they see them on TV, shouldn’t all illegal acts, harsh language, the expressing opinions, and whatever is currently considered immoral all be regulated out of existence too?
Not to mention documentaries! When exactly was the sudden increase in serial killers after the release of the Jeffrey Dahmer biopic?? After all, didn’t that normalise serial killing….
@Dvsespaña: Advertising, which is 100% about seeking to influence people, is different. The ASAI requires that:
All marketing communications should be legal, decent, honest and truthful.
All marketing communications should be prepared with a sense of responsibility both to the consumer and to society.
All marketing communications should conform to the principles of fair competition as generally accepted in business.
It’s not a case of where will it end, its do these stated objections make sense?
Would seeing someone burning rubbish in an advert, motivate you to do so?
I am pretty certain that’s a no from you.
Would you ever imagine that you could buy a new volkswagan car for less than €19? I am certain that another no from you!
When you see a so called influencer talking about a product or a service, do you think…
A. that must be a wonder product or service that they are promoting as a public service!
B. They are getting paid to promote whatever products or services they talk about.
Pretty certain your answer is B!
So in reality, you are not gullible enough to believe or be motivated to do anything you wouldn’t have previously, based on advertising, TV programmes or online media.
@Dvsespaña: I see myself as immune to advertising, but there is no shortage of gullible and dense people in the world.
@Dvsespaña: Why should burning rubbish in a back garden in an advertisment be allowed if its against the law to do so? If it motivates me or not isn’t the issue.
If you can’t buy a new VW for under €19 then they shouldn’t state that you can from under €19.
Thank god I dont ever see “Influncers” but kids with smart phones do and they might not be as clever as you or I.
Everybody needs to be responsible for their adverts, putting the onus of responsibilty on the people who watch them is wrong.
@Dvsespaña: it was designed to re-emphasised that we are banned from burning our property. However this practice continues across Eastern Europe and Asia. Also in Northern Ireland it seems to be ok to have infinite giant bonfires throughout the summer months. One rule for Ireland and another for everyone else.
Good to know we hold our banks to such a high moral standard…wait
The word “infulencer” is almost as annoying as the word “talent”… almost.
I’d only buy a Renault from an RTE Influencer
Don’t burn anything or the weather will get mad at you.
@Irish Harp: Neighbours, local residents etc. also.
I’m sure there are people who scrutinize every ad to see if they can find a flaw, so that they can complain. Anyone would know that VW were only advertising the service plan. The people who thought you could buy a VW for €18.99 a month shouldn’t be watching these ‘very misleading’ adverts.
@Patrick MC Dermott: “Shouldn’t be watching these very misleading adverts”
I think thats the point.
@Patrick MC Dermott: yes and they were paid handsomely by hippo bank to do it
Utter nonsense, burn away folks :)
@John Jon Jon: Burning your man-bra john?
@John Jon Jon: I would have put money on you popping up to say that.
@John Jon Jon: BOI like the Yanks in Saigon have good experience in the burning of documents. Await your troll reply.
@Brendan O’Brien: you climate nutters are losing badly lol
@John John Jon: sir, seek employment and/or regular hobbies
Considering the banking, planing, and government controversies over 50 years, I imagine if a forensic accounting examination of , the irsh financial Centre. Ffg ,the second mobile licence, and why we allowed ireland be used as a mony laundering service , I reckon the level of legal corruption would shock the most fanatical supporters of ffg to thier core
They should have shown bankers being burned.
@AnthonyK: why?
I think the Laya Healthcare advert is some kind of backward oxymoron (if there is such a thing?). They’ll make you better before you become ill!!!! Makes no sense, whatsoever way you look at it. If you’re not I’ll how can they make you better?? Totally confusing.
if you cant burn it. Bury it. (any of the unaccountable private business you subscribe to are doing that anyway).
Nonsense.
People have been burning things in their back garden since forever.
The ad didn’t promote this – it was actually funny for once.
People with too much time on their hands and nothing useful to contribute.
Hippo shaped money jar ? Lol, wasn’t that once the mascot for Ulster Bank during the early 1990s ? God the people who took the time and effort make a complaint really must think that “da people” are really that thick to take an advertisement literally . Besides , plenty of bonfires still happing around the country side .
Me thinks the hippo bank hired someone to find some way to scrap the advert. It’s obviously a joke and not promoting backyard burning. Hippo bank not happy being the butt of the joke.
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