Last month, Australian television viewers complained about a Volkswagen Tiguan advert that seemingly made light of parents forgetting their child in the vehicle. And now a handful of South African viewers have lodged similar complaints against the local version of this commercial.
Three complainants – Mr Naphtali Bloch, Mrs Kathryn Manners and Miss Sandra van Niekerk – approached the Advertising Standards Authority of South Africa, saying the commercial “shows and in some ways condones parental neglect”.
Volkswagen SA submitted that the idea of the advert hinges on the Tiguan being “so comfortable and stylish that one will easily forget that it’s a family car”. The automaker added that the advert does indeed show that the parents “love and care” for their daughter.
Volkswagen said that it is a family brand and would never encourage neglect or child abuse, adding that the commercial is “tongue-in-cheek and funny”.
The ASA Directorate said that it considered all the relevant documentation submitted by the respective parties, before examining the advert in the context of Section II, Clause 1 (offensive advertising) and Section II, Clause 14 (children) of the advertising code.
The ASA ruled that the advert does not contravene the provisions of these two clauses, and thus dismissed the complaints.
“A hypothetical reasonable person would not … interpret this commercial as an invitation to simply forget about their children. Aside from the fact that this young girl is clearly old enough to speak out and even get out of the car if she were really abandoned in the back seat, the Directorate is not convinced that any reasonable adult would spend their days travelling to various different locations without even noticing their toddler in the back,” the ASA said.
“The exaggeration and intended humour is clear enough to negate any argument that children are likely to suffer harm or that parents are likely to start abandoning or abusing their children as a result of this commercial,” the ASA concluded.
Watch the advert in question below…
