The UK Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has upheld an almost comical complaint against a website login screen advert for the new BT Yahoo! Mail Beta (internet email service), which the authority claimed "portrayed speed in a way that might encourage motorists to drive irresponsibly".

The advert itself was headed "Faster is funner. Introducing the 2x faster New BT Yahoo! Mail. Find out more about BT Yahoo! Mail Beta" and pictured two women in a convertible sports car. The passing scenery was blurred. Apparently two complainants claimed that the advert was likely to cause harm because it appeared to condone and encourage excess speed and irresponsible driving.


The reason this is news at all, aside from the ASA appearing to think that people could actually be influenced by such a promotion (is anybody really that dumb?), is because broadband ISPs have occasionally used motorways and speeding cars to depict faster connectivity and may now no longer be able to do so.

Not that we can't see the ASA's position here, clearly they have a duty of care, but in this case it might be going a bit too far. Presumably Virgin Media UK's recent use of Speedy Gonzales could encourage speeding accidents too or potentially excessive drinking and drug taking, depending upon your perspective.

Meanwhile Yahoo! has been told "not to portray speed in a way that might encourage motorists to drive irresponsibly in future". All they need to do is add an accident on to the end of their advert and thus turn it into educational material instead :cheese: .