What's Wrong With Automobile Ads?

What’s more dangerous: automobiles or cigarettes? The European Parliament proposed last Wednesday that car advertisements in the European Union carry tobacco-style labels, warning of the environmental impact they cause.

Should warnings consist of something like this; “Driving this car may damage the health of the planet”? Perhaps not just yet. The European Union lawmaking road is long and curvy, and the Parliament cannot initiate legislation. Instead, it sometimes tries to legislate by press release, taking populist stances in an effort to put pressure on industry and the European Commission. The commission, which holds much of the real lawmaking power within the 27-country bloc, often takes a softer line.

Still, automakers and their ad agencies are taking the matter seriously, for fear that cars might go the way of tobacco or junk food. Can you imagine if what happen to cigarette advertising happens to car advertising? I think not. Cigarette advertising has been almost entirely eliminated across Europe, and several countries have placed restrictions on ads for unhealthy food.

The advertising industry argues that it is being made a scapegoat, even as lawmakers back away from other steps to curb carbon dioxide emissions. But Chris Davies, a British member of the European Parliament who sponsored the measure, said the proposed labels could make a difference. Many auto ads now seem to be aimed at enticing consumers to buy bigger, faster, more gas-guzzling cars than they need, he said. “The rationale is to try to get car makers to compete on environmental information about their cars, rather than purely on power, speed and appearance,” he said.

The auto industry has pledged to come up with a new set of voluntary guidelines on car advertising, monitored by industry-financed advertising-standards organizations.
This self-regulation has been widely adopted across Europe in an effort to keep regulators from imposing restrictions on all kinds of advertising. I feel that with constant problems that are brought up in the world, it is no surprise that advertisers are going to continue to get more restrictions on what they can and can not promote.

Artlice can be found at; "Europe Proposes Warnings for Auto Ads."