Halfords ad banned for encouraging irresponsible driving

Halfords has been rapped by the Advertising Standards Authority for a TV spot consisting of sped-up video of a car from the driver's point of view, driving along a winding road in snowy conditions.

Two people complained about the ad, created by Karmarama, which was one of the idents for the brand’s sponsorship of weather on Channel 4.

Halfords and Clearcast said that the footage had clearly been sped up, was "obvious puffery", and did not actually show dangerous driving.

But the ASA pointed out that the ad featured engine sounds and drum beats, which it said reinforced the impression the vehicle was being driven at high speed.

It added that the wording "ready for quick getaways" implied that speed was essential, even in the weather conditions depicted in the ad.

The watchdog ruled that the ad breached the BCAP Code rules on motoring and ordered that it not be shown again in its current form.

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