Airline’s Bikini Model On Beach Ad Banned As ‘Misleading’

by Mark Joyella | 5:47 pm, April 27th, 2011

» 9 comments

An airline ran an ad featuring a bikini-clad model enjoying a lovely cocktail and basking in the sun, with a banner that says “book to the sun now!” What could possibly be wrong with that? Well, according to the Guardian, the ad by budget airline Ryanair ran afoul of the Advertising Standards Authority because the destinations being offered in the ad–Glasgow, Scotland and Oslo, Norway among others–would’ve hardly been considered warm beach destinations in February and March.

The airline objected, saying the beach babe wasn’t meant to imply you’d be able to sunbathe on the beach, but rather, enjoy “sunshine” in a frigid spot like Oslo, with temperatures around freezing during the period:

“We considered that the average consumer would infer from the claim ‘Book to the sun now’ and the image of the woman sunbathing, in a bikini, with a cocktail, that the promotion included fares to destinations warm enough to sunbathe in swimwear during the promotional period,” the ASA said. “Because we understood this was not the case, we concluded that the ad was misleading.”

Advertising, Bikini, Ryanair

Barack Must Go

This is a perfect example of just how dumbed down the liberal / socialist world has become in the 21st century. Ads that are obviously just to draw the consumer in with one thing, simply to get them to notice what you’re really hawking is a no, no.

The government doesn’t have to protect these potential dupes from the advertiser, they need to protect them from themselves.

It only gets worse with each passing day.
lazzzlo

All advertising is mis-leading to some extent. That being said the Advertising Standards Authority seems to have a dim view of consumers if it feels that the consumer may be expecting tropical climates while visiting Oslo or Glasgow.
mediadoubt

It verges on bait-and-switch. In American this wouldn’t be actionable, but the UK has a different body of law surrounding published content.

For example, their rules on copyright infringement favor the plaintiff over the defendant in ways that would seem crazy in the US.
damien

Barack Must Go said:
This is a perfect example of just how dumbed down the liberal / socialist world has become in the 21st century. Ads that are obviously just to draw the consumer in with one thing, simply to get them to notice what you’re really hawking is a no, no. The government doesn’t have to protect these potential dupes from the advertiser, they need to protect them from themselves. It only gets worse with each passing day.

You can be forgiven for being unaware of this, but Ryanair is an Irish airline that has a very strong, downright pioneering, history of misleading consumers with their advertising. They’re one of these companies that remind us why we need advertising standards.

By the way, they political party in power in the UK right now is the Conservatives, and in Ireland it’s Fine Gael, which is the most center-right alined political party in Ireland. I’m not sure where you’re getting this liberal/socialist world stuff from.
mediadoubt

damien said:
You can be forgiven for being unaware of this, but Ryanair is an Irish airline that has a very strong, downright pioneering, history of misleading consumers with their advertising. They’re one of these companies that remind us why we need advertising standards.

By the way, they political party in power in the UK right now is the Conservatives, and in Ireland it’s Fine Gael, which is the most center-right alined political party in Ireland. I’m not sure where you’re getting this liberal/socialist world stuff from.

He fashions it from his own turds.
Barack Must Go

mediadoubt said:
He fashions it from his own turds.

Go ahead and poke fun, but I made you out of one, well actually three of those turds and I don’t see you complaining about you.
mediadoubt

Barack Must Go said:
Go ahead and poke fun, but I made you out of one, well actually three of those turds and I don’t see you complaining about you.

I hope you washed your hands before dinner.
OZ

Unfortunately, I may be coming down, on the side of the coservative responders here. I personally I don’t care what the ad said, when I hear Oslo, Norway or Glasgow, Scotland, I’m not thinking “Sunny Beaches”. I’m thinking does the Polar Cap come that far south.
OZ

Barack Must Go – There you go, if you coservatives aren’t playing with ‘it, you’re eating ‘it.