Lexus Ads Banned for Environmental Untruth - May 23rd, 2007
Truth in advertising matters — in the United Kingdom, at least. An advertising campaign for the Lexus RX 400h has been banned in merry olde England for the line, “High performance. Low emissions. Zero guilt.”
Environmentally saavy consumers complained to the Advertising Standards Authority about the ad, citing the fact that the vehicle’s rating for the emission of carbon dioxide (192 g/km) was high compared to other automobiles. Given that, the claim that the RX 400h is environmentally friendly were, to put it plainly, bogus.
In response Lexus more or less said, “Yeah, but the numbers are good for an SUV.” And the ADA agreed, however the ad was still banned for misleading information that implied the emissions were superior to all vehicles. Splitting hairs? Maybe in the world of advertising. For the rest of us, it’s a matter of truth versus untruth.
Automotive companies are apt to pull this kind of thing as the demand for more efficient, more environmentally sound vehicles outstrips their capacity to produce said vehicles — and prevents them for moving their existing inventories. While creating ads that trip the narrow edge of veracity is an American staple, it won’t fly as consumers get more informed about what does and does not actually qualify as “green.”
Posted on May 23rd, 2007 by Shorty
Filed under: alternative fuels |
[…] rising gas prices. Not all hybrids are created equal, however, and recently a Lexus ad campaign was banned in the United Kingdom for what was perceived to be misleading information about the RX 400h’s emissions […]