Youi ads judged discriminatory

Email Print

29 June 2009

Two TV advertisements by car insurer Youi have been found to discriminate against people with mental health issues.

After receiving complaints about the ads, the Advertising Standards Board ruled they are discriminatory on the basis of a disability and breach the Australian Association of National Advertisers Code of Ethics.

The ads have been criticised of making fun of people with obsessive compulsive disorders (OCD), with consumers complaining the ads are “insulting”, “disrespectful”, “unnecessary”, “insensitive” and “hurtful”.

One of the ads depicts a man sitting in his car obsessively cleaning his glasses and the other a woman repeatedly folding her newspaper as she sits on a train. The Youi spokesman sitting next to each of them says while the insurer can save them money on their car insurance, saving them from their “compulsive behaviour” is “beyond us”.

Standards board CEO Fiona Jolly says the board quickly agreed both ads treat people with obsessive compulsive disorder with disrespect.

“The intention of the advertisements to depict, or at least make the audience think of people suffering from [the disorder], and the growing amusement of the presenter in the advertisement with the people’s actions, was likely to be seen as condescending, cause offence and demean,” she said.

Youi says the reference to compulsive behaviour provides a common link between three ads and the Youi brand. The third ad depicts a housewife folding her washing at home.

“The behaviour depicted by the actors in the ads was specific to the relevant target market and was in no way discriminating against a serious mental illness such as OCD,” the insurer said.

Youi agreed to modify its ads by last Friday.