Advertisment
The advertisements were in-store posters and online advertising which featured young men on motorcycles, and other close-up details of the vehicles. One of the images featured a man doing a ‘wheelie’ on a motorcycle. The men depicted were wearing tracksuits, shorts, and trainers.
Complaint
35 complaints were received against the advertising. The complaints centred around two main issues.
Issue 1
Many of the complainants felt that the images of the young men on motorbikes were aggressive and that the advertising tacitly condoned and glamorised young men and teenagers being part of a gang and engaging in antisocial behaviours such as theft. These complaints highlighted that the campaign was irresponsible at a time they said that there was a lot of public nuisance and crime caused by motorbike gangs.
Issue 2
Some complainants took issue with the lack of helmets and safety wear depicted and the unsafe practices (such as the motorbike riders performing ‘wheelies’) featured in the advertising.
Response
Issue 1
The advertisers said that there was nothing in the advertisements that indicated that the motorbikes were stolen, nor did they encourage any sort of criminality. They said that there was nothing in the advertisements that indicated that the people depicted were young teens and they said that the models depicted were all over the age of 25. They also said the images were produced in a controlled environment and that professional stunt riders were engaged to create the images. The advertisers said that it was their opinion that it was a relatively small number of complaints received given the scope of the campaign and that these complainants had erroneously linked the wearing of certain apparel to anti-social behaviour.
Issue 2
The advertisers said that a helmet was the only piece of personal protection equipment required for riders of a motorcycle. They said that the motorcycle riders featured on a moving vehicle in the images were wearing helmets. The advertisers also pointed out that they were not marketing their sportswear products as personal protective equipment.
FURTHER INFORMATION:
The Executive reviewed the Road Safety Authority’s guidance on motorcycle safety gear(1) which listed essential Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) gear as a helmet, jacket and trousers and gloves and footwear and included requirements for each item.
(1) https://www.rsa.ie/road-safety/road-users/motorcyclists/safety-gear
Conclusion
The Complaints Committee considered the detail of the complaints and the advertisers’ response.
Issue 1: Not Upheld.
The Complaints Committee noted that the complainants considered that the portrayal of the men in the advertising wearing clothing such as tracksuits and partial face coverings, was condoning criminal activity such as motorcycle and bicycle theft. The Committee, whilst noting the concerns raised, did not consider that the advertising was promoting or condoning criminality or antisocial behaviour. The mere act of having depicted young men on motorcycles could not have been said in and of itself to carry any such message. In the circumstances, the Committee did not consider that the advertising was in breach of the Code on the grounds raised in Issue 1.
Issue 2: Upheld.
The Complaints Committee noted the complainants’ concerns around the lack of protective equipment featured. They also noted the guidance published by the RSA which recommended that motorcyclists wear full PPE.
On examining the advertising, they noted that the advertisements featured an image of a group of people astride the bikes but not in motion and in relation to this image, the Committee did not consider that a breach of the Code had occurred.
The Committee noted the Code requirement that an advertisement should not condone or encourage dangerous behaviour or unsafe practice.
In relation to the image of a rider performing a ‘wheelie’ while noting that this rider was wearing a helmet, they noted that they were not wearing PPE. The Committee considered that the depiction of an individual performing a wheelie on a motorbike, a potentially dangerous manoeuvre, without appropriate safety gear, was encouraging and condoning dangerous behaviour. The Committee also considered that showing a rider performing ‘wheelies’ could also encourage dangerous behaviour.
In the circumstances, the Committee considered that the advertising was in breach of Section 3.24 (a) of the Code.
ACTION REQUIRED:
The advertising must not appear again in its current form.
