Misleading Bord Gais Advertisement
On Thursday and Friday night, 17th and 18th of January, I saw the following advertisement on the main state sponsored television channel in Ireland, RTE 1.
I believe that this advertisement sets out to create a misleading impression regarding the effects of (burning) gas on our planet. Gas is a fossil fuel and, as with every other fossil fuel, if you burn it you release CO2. Gas therefore contributes to global warming.
Obviously, I have no problem with a company selling gas. It will take us a while either to replace fossil fuels or find ways to sequestrate the carbon after we burn the fuel. My problem is that this advetrisment creates the impression that burning gas has no negative effect. I think that in fifty years from now this advertisement will apprear to our grand-children as ridiculous as the advertisements of fifty years ago extolling the health benefits of cigarettes.
I have lodged a formal complaint with the Advertising Standards Authority of Ireland.
January 21st, 2008 at 3:02 pm
Advertising at it’s best, it’s ridiculous. Handling the carbon emissions is one thing, but, natural gas still remains a finite source. It’s irresponsible not only to avoid issues like our careless use of fossil fuels, but, to but create or add to the illusion that our current rate of consumption is acceptable, and worse, to make it appear natural and good to the environment.
(I get a lil touchy about these things
)
July 3rd, 2008 at 10:20 am
Yesterday I received a long letter from the Advertising Standards Authority for Ireland regarding my complaint.
In their defense, BGE stated that their phrase ‘working with nature’ related to the construction of their distribution network and not to product they sold.
The judgement of the ASAI was as follows:-
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“Having examined their submission we consider that the claim mainly relates to the construction of their networks and we do not consider, in the circumstances, that the claim contravenes the provisions of the Code.
I will be advising them, however, that the use of the word “clean” to describe fossil fuel is unacceptable. We would accept that this is one of the cleanest fuels that can be burned but our Code requires that environmental claims should not be used without qualification unless advertisers can provide convincing evidence that their products will cause no environmental damages”
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I am happy that BGE will not be allowed to use the word ‘clean’ in future. I leave it to you to listen to the video above again and decide for your self whether or not the advertisement creates the impression that they are talking about their distribution network or their product when they say ‘Working with Nature’.