Ryanair Ordered to Drop ‘Irresponsible’ Jab and Go Advert

THE Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has upheld the thousands of complaints made against a Ryanair advert encouraging consumers to book flights now the UK’s vaccination programme is underway, branding it “irresponsible.”

The ASA announced it would uphold the 2,370 complaints made against Ryanair’s “Jab and Go” advertising campaign, branding the ad “irresponsible” and saying it had made misleading claims about the vaccination programme.

The television advert had shown a bottle and a syringe and told viewers: “Covid vaccines are coming so book your Easter and summer holidays today with Ryanair… you could jab and go.”

Complaints about the campaign came mainly from those who felt the message suggested the UK’s travel industry would be able to return to normal this summer.

Instead the ASA judged the UK’s Covid crisis was a, “complex and constantly evolving” situation, and that the advert could leave, “confused or uncertain.”

The watchdog said it was important companies were, “cautious,” especially when presenting promises about the UK returning to “some level of normality.”

The body did not go so far as to criticise the company for being “distasteful,” however, claiming the advert was unlikely to have caused widespread offence.

The ASA ruling said: “We told Ryanair DAC to ensure their ads did not mislead viewers about the impact that Covid-19 vaccines would have on their ability to travel abroad during Easter and summer 2021, and to ensure their ads did not encourage irresponsible behaviour.”

Ryanair claimed the advert had intended to be “uplifting,” however the ASA ultimately ruled it to be “irresponsible.”

Thank you for taking the time to read this news article “Ryanair Ordered to Drop ‘Irresponsible’ Jab and Go Advert”. For more UK daily news, Spanish daily news and Global news stories, visit the Euro Weekly News home page.