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As you may have already heard, UK supermarket Iceland's £500,000 Christmas advert has been banned from appearing on major UK TV stations. The ad centres around the use of palm oil in supermarket products and the damaging effects this had on the environment. After being found "too political" by advertising watchdog Clearcast, it will not appear on our screens this Christmas time. The internet has responded en masse to promote and share the ad online - one of the many great assets the world wide web still has going for it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I find this fascinating. Ads that promote capitalist values and unnecessary materialism are allowed to freely exploit our screens. But, Iceland's attempt to raise awareness about an environmental issue that is severely impacting the planet is apparently a 'breach of political advertising rules.'

 

What is Palm Oil and why is it controversial?

 

Palm oil is comes mostly from trees in Indonesia or Malaysia and is found in everything from chocolate to soap and shampoo. To make room for palm oil plantations, huge amounts of the precious rainforest are bulldozed. The rainforest is one of the most significant parts of our ecosystem. By absorbing huge amounts of carbon dioxide, rainforests help reduce the effects of climate change. In addition, it is home to about HALF of all the animals and species on the planet including orang-utans which are the focus of Iceland's Christmas ad.

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Regardless of religion or faith, I think most can agree that Christmas should be a thoughtful time, a time for giving and compassion. The reason for Clearcast's decision to ban the advert is that it is too political. Surely, this can be argued for a number of adverts on TV at the moment such as every time a company promotes a product. For instance, every time we see an advert for a Nestlé chocolate bar or instant milkshake, it can be seen to promote the irresponsible marketing of baby milk to less economically developed countries.

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Or each time an ad for Amazon graces our screens, it can be thought of as a campaign to get away with tax avoidance. The inconsistency in Clearcast's policies definitely seems to be out of touch with what consumers want. The only way to challenge such autocracy is to challenge it and that is exactly what Twitter is doing. Keep up the good work folks!!

 

#Iceland #ChristmasAdvert #Banned