ASA dismisses complaint that OUTsurance ad is manipulative and plays on people’s fears

The Advertising Standards Authority‚ ASA has dismissed a complaint that an OUTsurance commercial used inappropriate fear tactics and was manipulative.

The complaint was lodged in May 2017 and relates to an OUTsurance commercial featuring a man talking to his wife over the phone‚ advising her that he is on his way. He is busy getting into his vehicle while she is busy tucking their daughter into bed. As he is driving down a rainy road‚ a truck swerves into his lane‚ and the man is shown trying to avoid a collision.

The words "Life is unpredictable” appear on screen‚ followed by "That’s why OUTsurance offers life cover that’s there if you need it” and "And all your premiums back if you don’t”.

At the end‚ the commercial reads "To see how this story ends‚ go to www.endings.co.za or SMS ‘life’ to 12345 for a quote”.

The complainant objected to the commercial on the basis that it sets the scene for a vehicle accident taking the father’s life.

“This was manipulative and suggests that a family tragedy will be made bearable if one has insurance. Such fear tactics are not appropriate and are likely to bring up painful memories for people that have suffered such tragedies‚” the complainant argued.

The respondent‚ OUTsurance‚ pointed out that the commercial does not feature a collision‚ and at no point suggests that the vehicles collided. Viewers are invited to view the various endings provided on www.endings.co.za‚ which were designed to illustrate how the respondent offers solutions to the potential problems of death‚ disability or near miss collisions.

“The commercial is intended to get consumers thinking about whether or not they have made adequate provisions for potential eventualities of life‚ and invites consumers to view potential endings online. Even if one assumes that many consumers did not take the time to do so‚ the assumption that the father died in a collision is clearly not accurate‚ and suggests a hypercritical approach‚” OUTsurance argued.

ASA directorate had to determine the following: - Whether the commercial does play on fear as suggested by the complainants; and - Whether such exploitation of fear is "justifiable” within the confines of the Code.

The directorate accepted that the commercial had a sombre mood‚ and depicted a scenario where an unexpected accident may‚ or may not compromise the unity of a loving family‚ and the life of a father. “This is a difficult subject for most people to engage with‚ and may cause discomfort with viewers. However‚ the question remains whether this constitutes an unjustifiable exploitation of peoples’ fear of dying or losing a loved one‚” the ASA directorate said.

It added: “This is significant‚ because it already plants a suggestion that the outcome of the depicted scenario might not necessarily be a fatality. It is also worth mentioning that no collision is depicted‚ or suggested by means of sound effects or any additional visuals beyond the image of the father swerving to avoid the truck.” The complainant’s assumption that the father dies is therefore technically not correct‚ the directorate said.

It also said the commercial appeared not to be graphic‚ and did not induce an immediate sense of shock‚ scare or intimidate viewers into thinking that they are failing their families or inviting ill fate by not subscribing to the offered service. The commercial therefore did not appear to unjustifiably play on people’s fears.

The complaint was dismissed.

- TimesLIVE