Budget Direct’s “Loch Mess” TV commercial has been found in breach of advertising rules, while Youi’s promo comparing shopping for car cover with “Aunty Kate” looking for a boyfriend has avoided censure.

Both were among this year’s 10 most complained-about campaigns, according to Ad Standards.

The Ad Standards community panel examined 23 complaints that Youi’s ad was gender-discriminatory, but found it complied with advertising rules.

It features a child reading from a newspaper that “you haven’t shopped around until you’ve tried Youi”. She then asks what that means.

A man says that with car insurance, you need to try a few options to “find the best”.  

The child replies: “Like Aunty Kate finding a boyfriend?”

One complainant said they were “disgusted by the female aunt made out to be a bad female ... Even worse she is scoffed at by the male. Stop shaming women.”

Another said the portrayal “seems to demean women by suggesting their thoughtful choices in relationships are a flaw”, while a third said the ad “makes her sound like a slut and ... there must be better ways to advertise comparing insurance than to demean women”.

Another alleged the ad discriminated against men by “assuming that they are nothing more than commodities to shop around for”.

Youi responded that the ad was “playful” and “positive”, encouraging thoughtful choices. It denied “any form of ranking or gender-based differentiation”.

The insurer said the ad “humorously depicts ... that parents sometimes say things their children will embarrassingly repeat” and that Aunty Kate was a self-assured character who “owns her individual choices”.

It said it challenges the “outdated trope of shaming women deemed ‘too picky’,” portraying the aunt as a woman with high standards who is confident.

“We value individuals like Aunty Kate who prioritise finding the best for themselves; whether that’s a boyfriend or their car insurance,” Youi said.

The panel found Youi’s ad showed “the woman has power and choice in her dating decisions” and the child’s question was not asked with judgment.

The ad is “a humorous depiction of the connections children can make between seemingly unrelated concepts”, it said in dismissing the complaints.

But Auto & General brand Budget Direct’s commercial was found to be in breach of standards.

It features a pool cleaner that comes to life after being struck by lightning, then whirls around causing damage to a home and terrifying its occupants.

There were 22 complaints that the imagery was violent and frightening, particularly for children.  

Some said it was not appropriate “to be on during the day”, could “cause anxiety to young children” and “could be detrimental to impressionable young adults”.  

One complainant wrote: “It is the timing of the advert when children are around and the level of terror/destruction being portrayed ... this is too intense and graphic.”

Another said: “This is terrifying to my child that is already scared of pool cleaners. I am heavily concerned it has affected her progression in swim school that has cost an arm and a leg and ... destroyed her confidence in going anywhere near a pool.”

Auto & General responded that the ad was “clearly theatrical, fantastical and intended to be humorous”, and was a comedic take on the legend of the Loch Ness Monster.  

It said people understand its commercials are light-hearted and feature exaggerated elements and cinematic themes with “over-the-top and stylised visuals, music and sound effects”.  No one was depicted as being harmed or in pain, it said.

However, the ad was found to contain “a level of menace and destruction of property that may be considered violence”, in breach of standards.

“There is a high level of tension due to the music choice and the dark imagery, and there is an ongoing threat to the occupants of the house, including children,” the panel said. It found “depiction of a family being attacked was not justifiable in the promotion of an insurance service”.  

Budget Direct agreed to discontinue the full-length ad, though shorter edits remain on-air.

See the rulings here and here.

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