In May 2022, the car manufacturer FIAT was convicted by the Advertising Ethics Jury (JEP). Let's analyze the ad in question and the jury's decision.

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FIAT advertising, a slogan that's a bit too much

First, the complaint against FIAT consisted of multiple components. Here we will focus on advertising in print media.

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This ad showed their electric FIAT 500 with the text:

“Reserve your seat to a better future. New (500) RED. Built for the planet. Built for humanity.”

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And below in small: “It is entirely electric to help take care of the Earth. (RED) to support the organization (RED) in the fight against global pandemics. Because, like all (RED) products, a portion of the purchase price of each sale goes directly to the Global Fund to help fund vital health programs for the benefit of the communities most in need.

*Fiat, Jeep and RAM have committed to raising at least $4M for the Global Fund between 2021 and 2023 to fight health emergencies like COVID and AIDS with (RED). Every (FIAT) RED vehicle supports this commitment.”

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The reason for the complaint: words that are too strong in absolute terms

There are two terms that were the subject of a complaint. “Built for the planet.” And “designed for humanity.”

The first sentence gets the message across that the car has no effect on the environment or climate change. When she obviously has them. Few when in use. But a lot during its manufacture. Similarly, the second implies that the car is manufactured with, we quote, “a feeling of kindness and compassion for others”, which is abusive.

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The first case refers to article 7 of the ecological advertising code in Belgium.

”Absolute expressions, statements, or slogans such as, for example, “good for the environment”, implying that a product or service has no effects on the environment at any stage in its life cycle, are prohibited unless there is evidence to the contrary.”

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The second refers to articles 4 (loyalty) and especially 5 (veracity) of the Code of the International Chamber of Commerce.

”Commercial communication must not contain any statement, assertion or audio or visual treatment that is likely, directly or indirectly, through omissions, ambiguities or exaggerations, to mislead the consumer, in particular, but not exclusively, with regard to (...) the importance of benefits granted to charitable causes.”

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Yes, there are rules in advertising. Even on an ecological level. As a reminder, the JEP and the rules in the code exist as self-regulation in the sector. These are therefore rules that representatives of professionals in the advertising world have set for themselves. In order to respect a certain ethics (and deontology) and to avoid any abuse.

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And the jury accepted this complaint.

The JEP supported the complaint. Using words in absolute terms like “designed for the planet” implies that the car is good for the environment. While no. A car has a significant negative impact.

Yes, the electric car offers a solution to reduce our CO2 emissions. But that's not why you can pretend that it's good for the planet in absolute terms. It is better than an internal combustion car when used, that we can say. But that doesn't make it a good thing for the planet in general.

Similarly, the mention “designed for humanity” was deemed to be false advertising, based on articles 4 and 5 mentioned above. Because it deceives the consumer.

FIAT justified themselves by pointing out that they had put more information in small form at the bottom of the ad explaining why it was good for the planet and for humanity. But the JEP pointed out that additional explanations were not enough. The terms “designed for the planet” and “designed for humanity” are too strong and abusive. The fact that there are positive aspects to a product does not give the right to give general and vague statements as is the case here. Especially since these two terms were written much larger than the explanatory text. This gives consumers the impression that this car is good, in absolute terms, for the planet and for humanity.

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In fact, you can now see the slogan “designed for the future” on the FIAT website. Undoubtedly a change as a result of this decision.

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Advertising has a major role in meeting the challenges of this century. Therefore, advertisers must be careful with the words used. Here is a new example.

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You can find hither the report of the JEP. And if you are interested in the subject, discover the 6 main elements of greenwashing in advertising with our article available here.

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