A South African radio ad has been ordered to be taken off the air by the Advertising Regulatory Board (ARB), as it was found to be dangerous and distracting to drivers.
The advert, created by Standard Bank, begins with a voice saying “In 600 metres, turn right,” in much the same way that a GPS or navigation app such as Waze or Google Maps would do, after which a woman says “I can’t believe it. I am driving my first car.”
This is followed by another voice clip similar to that of a navigation app which says “You have arrived at your destination.”
Distracting drivers
Shortly after airing, the advert received a complaint issued by a motorist who alleged that the radio cues sounded exactly like his GPS, according to MyBroadband.
The individual claimed that the electronic voice lines are confusing and distracting to motorists in much the same way that sounds imitating something like an emergency vehicle siren are, in that a driver can mistake them for the real thing.
“It is the same as the ads on radio that contain sounds with sirens and horns. It is distracting and dangerous, hence why I cannot listen to the radio in my car,” he said.
“But now these geniuses have upped their game and added sound effects that sound like GPS navigation instructions.”
In response, Standard Bank’s legal representative, attorney Bouwers Inc., stated that the commercial is meant to depict a person driving their first car, and that it is not, nor is it meant to be, distracting to road users.
“The Complainant was not in any manner confused and well-aware that he was listening to an advertisement and that the sounds that he was hearing were emanating from his radio and was not real-life traffic noise, nor did it emanate from his ‘GPS’,” said the firm.
“There can be no doubt that in the context of the Advertisement the use of the phrase ‘In 600 metres, turn right’ will not create a ‘safety hazard’, especially, taking into consideration that no driver of a vehicle will blindly follow the ‘GPS instructions’.”
To resolve the matter, the ARB compared the complainant’s argument in light of Clause 3.6 of Section II of the Code of Advertising Practice, which states that “Advertisements must not include sounds that are likely to create a safety hazard, for example, to those listening to the radio while driving.”
The regulatory body took issue with the argument that “no driver of a vehicle will blindly follow GPS instructions,” stating that it was insufficient.
It said that, while it is believable that a person would not do something like drive into a wall or oncoming traffic as a result of the commercial, the GPS-like voice lines could still mislead drivers.
Firstly, the voice line plays at the beginning of the clip, meaning that motorists may not immediately realize that what they are hearing is an advertisement. This is combined with the fact that navigation apps, by design, interrupt other audio playback when connected to a car’s stereo in order to give instructions.
“It would therefore not be unheard of to have your song interrupted by the GPS system saying ‘in 600m turn right’,” said the ARB.
The ARB therefore upheld the complaint, and found Standard Bank’s advert to be in contravention of the South African Code of Advertising Practice.
Consequently, the bank has been ordered to remove the radio commercial containing the GPS-like voice lines.
Keyword: South African radio ad pulled for being dangerous to drivers