Booking.com has been vindicated on four counts after thousands of complaints over an ‘offensive’ TV and cinema ad.
Most of the 2345 complaints argued that the ad, which said ‘it doesn’t get any booking better than this. Look at the view, look at the booking view. This is exactly what you booking needed’, substituted the word ‘booking’ in place of a swear word.
They questioned whether the advert was ‘offensive’, ‘irresponsible’ and likely to ‘encourage swearing amongst children’.
But the Advertising Standards Authority said it had not upheld any of the four issues arising from the advert, following its investigation.
Netherlands-based Booking.com – part of the Priceline Group – had said the ad was to reinforce brand recognition and association in respect of the word ‘booking’ as both a company name and website URL.
The ASA ruling said: "Although we acknowledged that the placement of the word was redolent of the use of expletives we noted that the ad did not expressly use any explicit language and therefore concluded that, although some viewers might find the connotation and word play distasteful, it was unlikely that the ad would cause serious or widespread offence.
"We also considered that as the ad did not contain an expletive it was unlikely in itself to promote the use of such words and that those children who were old enough to realise the innuendo would be likely to understand that the humour was derived from the substitution rather than the use of an expletive."
