Advert with Iggy Pop gets the chop

A controversial advertisement that starred the rock icon Iggy Pop has been banned following complaints from those that wanted to sign up to the service. The advertisement was for Swiftcover insurance, and the rock star appeared on the advertisement stating that he had been swiftcovered and suggesting that others do the same thing to save themselves time and money on their insurance cover.

Not surprisingly, having the suggestion that Iggy Pop had insurance cover through Swiftcover led to many musicians and people within the entertainment industry also applying for cover with the firm. However, many were horrified to find that the insurance company was actually refusing cover to musicians and those in the entertainment industry despite the fact that it was a musician who was starring in the advertisement and who claimed that he had cover with the insurance provider.

Following a string of complaints from the many people that were turned down for cover because of their work, the Advertising Standards Agency has taken action by banning the advertisement.

The ASA agreed that the advertisement was misleading, although officials from Swiftcover said that no mention had been made with regards to the star’s profession and he had been selected for his reputation of wanting to live life to the full and not because he was a musician.

However, the ASA upheld the complaints that were received, and stated: ‘Because the policy was promoted by a well-known musician, which might lead some viewers to believe the policy covered those who worked in entertainment, when it did not, and because Iggy Pop did not have a policy with Swiftcover, we concluded the ad was misleading.’

Tags: iggy pop, ASA, advertising, tv commercial, swift insurance