Twix advert banned after complaints it promoted dangerous driving

Wales Online

a day ago

Twix advert banned after complaints it promoted dangerous driving
The advert shows a man in a car embarking on a high-speed chase with a pursuer, before swerving off the road and tumbling down a hill
Twix TV advert banned after complaints it encouraged dangerous driving
(Image: Twix/YouTube )
A TV advert for the popular chocolate bar, Twix, has been banned following objections that it promotes reckless driving. The advert, titled Two is More Than One, showcases a 70s-inspired car chase featuring a long-haired man in a caramel-coloured vehicle navigating through a rugged terrain with winding roads.
After noticing another driver tailing him via his rear view mirror, he accelerates before yanking the handbrake, veering off to the right side of the road and rolling sideways through a metal barrier. Despite the dramatic tumble down the hill, the driver remains unfazed as the car comes to a halt, landing on an identical vehicle at the bottom of the hill.
The two cars are depicted stacked roof-to-roof, with the same man seemingly occupying both vehicles. For the latest TV and showbiz gossip sign up to our newsletter
The Twix bar from the top driver falls through the sunroof into the hands of the driver below, and they both shift the gear stick on the ground level car and drive off.
Two cars end up roof to roof, and drive away together.
(Image: Twix/YouTube )
The Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) received five complaints alleging that the advert was irresponsible and encouraged dangerous driving, reports the Express.
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Mars-Wrigley, the confectionery giant that owns Twix, defended the advert by stating it "was set in a separate world that was absurd, fantastical and removed from reality," and they ensured that the acts depicted in the sequence "would be impossible to recreate", according to Sky News.
The firm, which also owns brands such as Maltesers and M&Ms, stated that the cars "were shot driving at lawful speeds and any emulation would only reflect the legal and safe driving presented".
Mars-Wrigley also pointed out that the advert embodied the playful and absurd humour that the Twix brand is renowned for.
Clearcast, the non-profit organisation that approves adverts before they are broadcast in the UK, informed the watchdog that the style of the video made it clear to viewers that the actions depicted were not intended to be replicated, and said the ad did not suggest "safe driving was boring," according to BBC News.
However, despite acknowledging that the video featured "some clearly fantastical elements," the watchdog decided to uphold the complaints, stating in its ruling that the ads "must not appear again in their current form".
"We considered the road was clearly realistic," the ASA stated. "The scenes were depicted as a chase with the emphasis on speed. In addition, the first man was then shown putting the handbrake on and the car swerved off the road leaving visible skid marks.
"We considered the emphasis on a chase, and the speed inherent to that, and the driving manoeuvres featured would be dangerous and irresponsible if emulated in real life on a public highway."
In its ruling, the ASA instructed Mars-Wrigley "not to condone or encourage irresponsible driving that was likely to breach the legal requirements of the Highway Code in their ads."
A spokesperson for Mars Wrigley UK stated: "We always take pride in maintaining high standards across all our communications and every advert we produce is submitted for approval through the appropriate review channels.
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"In our view, this particular advert adopts a fantastical tone that is neither realistic nor intended to be imitated.
"Nonetheless, we take our responsibility as an advertiser seriously and never intended to cause any offence or concern, so we are reviewing the ruling carefully in order to work collaboratively towards a resolution."