Citroen advert banned after causing epilepsy symptoms

By Admin
A television advert for car manufacturer Citroen has been banned by the Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) amid complaints that it triggered epilepsy s...

A television advert for car manufacturer Citroen has been banned by the Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) amid complaints that it triggered epilepsy symptoms.

The ASA reportedly received 10 complaints from viewers about the advert for the Citroen DS4, saying it caused symptoms commonly linked to photo-sensitive epilepsy.

One viewer even reported having a full epileptic fit after watching the advertisement.

It has now been declared by the ASA that the advert may not be aired again while it is in its current format.

To read the latest edition of Healthcare Global, click here

The Citroen DS4’s ‘Yes Men’ advert features the word yes flashing across the screen in various patterns, formats and colours.

In total the word yes appears on the screen 304 times in both black and white writing and the advert has been aired on UK television channels ITV and UK Gold and Sky.

However, Citroen have said the advert was reviewed and cleared for showing by Clearcast, the organisation that monitors television adverts with flashing images.

Clearcast also confirmed that the advert had passed the Harding FPA (Flash and Pattern Analyser) test.

In spites of this, TV watchdog OFCOM ruled that the advert did breach current standards and guidelines after the ASA approached the body for further analysis of the commercial.  

In a statement the ASA said: “We noted that Ofcom had identified that the ad had met all three conditions needed to be considered a breach of their guidance.

“We also noted that several complainants had told us that they suffered symptoms associated with photo-sensitive epilepsy, including a seizure.

It added: “We therefore concluded that the ad had breached the Code.”

“The ad must not appear again in its current form.”

Citroen DS4 'Yes Men' advert. (WARNING: Contains flashing images)

The Healthcare Global magazine is now available on the iPad. Click here to download it.

Share

Featured Articles

McKinsey: Women More Likely to die of Heart Attack Than Men

McKinsey Health Institute's Lucy Pérez says cardiovascular disease top killer of women yet physicians don't know their heart attack symptoms are different

Novo Nordisk Buys $1bn Cardior in CardioVascular Move

As Novo Nordisk expands into heart medicines, we profile the Danish pharma giant who in 1923 was the first to make insulin commercially available

Shoddy Chinese Syringes Sees BD Ramp-up Production

Becton Dickinson – a major supplier of syringes – said it has upped manufacturing in its US facilities after FDA warning on China-made products

AI Tool 'Picks up Early-stage Breast Cancers Doctors Missed'

Technology & AI

AstraZeneca Buys $2bn Fusion in Next-gen Cancer Drugs Move

Medical Devices & Pharma

Eli Lilly and Amazon Pharmacy Partner on Drugs Delivery

Digital Healthcare