Iceland's Christmas advert for television has been banned by Clearcast, the body responsible for vetting adverts before they are broadcast, as there are fears it is too political.
The advert uses a Greenpeace animated video designed to bring to light the impact that the destruction of the rainforest at the hands of palm oil growers can have on habitats. Ultimately, Iceland struck a deal to use the film to advertise the fact that they have pledged to remove palm oil from its own-brand foods.
In the film, we see a girl in her bedroom, frustrated at the chaos that an orangutan is causing there. She then asks the orangutan to leave, but not before asking why it was in her bedroom in the first place. The animation, narrated by Dame Emma Thompson, then shows images of rainforest destruction by humans for the purposes of food, products and palm oil, with the orangutan distressed that its home and family have been taken away. The little girl then pledges to help raise awareness of the problem.
Whilst the environmental message behind the advert is admirable, Clearcast said "Clearcast and the broadcasters have to date been unable to clear this Iceland ad because we concerned that it doesn’t comply with the political rules of the BCAP code," which is the Broadcast Code of Advertising Practice. "The creative submitted to us is linked to another organisation who have not yet been able to demonstrate compliance in this area.”
Richard Walker, managing director of Iceland, said, "Throughout 2018 we have led the retail industry to take action in areas such as rainforest destruction for palm oil and plastic pollution of our oceans. This year we were keen to do something different with our much anticipated Christmas advert. The culmination of our palm oil project is offering our customers the choice of an orangutan friendly Christmas, and we wanted to reflect this in our advertising.
"While our advert sadly never made it to TV screens, we are hopeful that consumers will take to social media to view the film, which raises awareness of an important global issue. Our commitment to help protect the home of orangutans remains extremely close to our hearts. We are proud to be encouraging consumers to make more sustainable choices, even without the support of TV advertising, ahead of the Christmas shopping season."
