Jaguar XE advert BANNED as nanny state ASA responds to just TWO complaints

An advertorial in the Guardian for connected technology in the Jaguar XE has been banned from appearing again after two complaints to the ASA.

Back in September, Jaguar paid The Guardian to run a piece extolling the benefits of the Jaguar XE’s ability to allow drivers to safely keep in touch with their lives with the XE’s (now) very good connected infotainment system.

But the idea that anyone in charge of a car should be anywhere other than in an isolation bubble of focus for the entire journey was not good enough for two Guardian readers, who complained to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) about Jaguar’s ‘encouragement of unsafe driving practices’.

That’s two complaints from Guardian readers – a demographic not known to be slow in voicing a ‘right on’ opinion – from a daily readership of the newspaper of getting on for a million. By our reckoning, that’s a complaint rate of 0.0002%. And that’s ignoring the online audience of eight million.

Still, maybe that 0.0002% or readers were the only ones on the ball and did society a service by complaining to the ASA? No.

According to the ASA’s judgement: 

Whilst we understood that the work related activities and communicating with family could be carried out in the car via hands-free technology, we considered that they were likely to distract a driver’s attention from the road and therefore preventing them from having full control of the vehicle.

Therefore, we concluded that the advertorial was irresponsible because it was likely to encourage unsafe driving practices.

Frankly the idea that Jaguar (and the Guardian) should be castigated by the nanny state for giving drivers a safe way to stay abreast of stuff that matters to them makes the ASA look stupid.

Mind you, the fact that you can now get six points and a £200 fine for picking up your phone in a traffic jam, or clicking its screen for a route update when using it as a Sat Nav, is just as stupid. As is the idea of lowering the drink drive limit to the point where inhaling whilst passing a pub will get you nicked.

Note to legislators and ‘Authorities’: Most drivers are not stupid. Silly rulings and pointless legislation serves only to criminalise the majority without affecting the behaviour of the recalcitrant minority.