CA – JAN 15 – TALL TALK
- Posted by CERC India
- Posted in monthly
Hero two-wheeler ad shows dangerous stunts
In a bid to capture the imagination of the younger generation, advertisers often ignore safety aspects. Take the advertisement of Hero MotoCorp’s Maestro and Pleasure two-wheelers telecast on various channels including Star Plus on 2 November 2014.
The TV commercial shows Ranbir Kapoor and a group of other soccer enthusiasts showcasing their freestyle skill with the ball before getting onto their Maestro scooters. As they move through the city, they use their scooters to keep the ball moving, showing off some bike stunts in the process. Eventually, the group enters a warehouse. The ball is stopped by Alia Bhatt and her gang of girls on Pleasure scooters. The girls too show off their football skills with the ball and scooters.
We objected to the fact that the advertisement shows stunts being performed with a football while riding two-wheelers. The cautionary message drawing viewer attention is in very small, hardly readable print. The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting in a notification in June 2014 stated: “The stills/images/scenes depicting rash, negligent or dangerous driving may not be usually portrayed in print and electronic media…†If they had to be depicted they should be accompanied by appropriate cautionary messages.
We complained to the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) which upheld our complaint. It concluded that the visuals of “people playing soccer on the scooters in a residential areaâ€, shows a dangerous practice. ASCI has advised the advertiser to withdraw or modify the ad.
Throwing caution to the winds?
