Now even the seemingly harmless Kevin the Carrot isn't safe anymore…
An advert which aired over the Christmas period featuring the Aldi mascot has been banned in the UK following a single complaint to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA).
The ad includes a reference from The Sixth Sense as Kevin says he ‘sees dead parsnips’, and was for the discount retailer’s alcoholic drinks offers.
The ASA said that the ban was prompted by one viewer who argued that the ad is irresponsible given that it was likely to appeal to viewers under the age of 18.
“We considered the ad was likely to appeal strongly to people under 18 and given that it was promoting alcohol, we concluded was irresponsible," the watchdog summarised.
Aldi responded by stating that “whilst Kevin the Carrot was intended to be humorous, it was not designed to have specific appeal to under-18s”. The supermarket chain also stressed that the advert was subject to broadcast restrictions so it did not appear adjacent to any programmes aimed at under-18s.
They concluded: "Nevertheless we will abide by the ASA's ruling on this matter."
Clearance agency Clearcast echoed Aldi’s response, saying that the ad was given the appropriate scheduling restriction for featuring alcohol.
“Clearcast considered that Kevin and the overall theme were all likely to have general appeal rather than appealing specifically to under-18s, and therefore considered that it was acceptable to feature the character in ads that featured alcohol,” the organisation said.
You can see the commercial below:
