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ASA say Iggy insurance ads misleading

By CMU Editorial | Published on Wednesday 29 April 2009

The Advertising Standards Authority has ruled that those slightly scary Iggy Pop ads for insurance firm Swiftcover were officially “misleading” when they first aired because they imply the rocker himself has cover from the insurer when, in fact, they didn’t offer packages for musicians at the time.

As previously reported, shortly after the ads started to air there were media reports of musicians who applied for insurance from the company only to be knocked back because of their profession. Musicians, you see, smash up too many hotel rooms to be worth insuring.

The insurer has since introduced a package for musicians, but when the ad campaign began they did not offer such a product. Following twelve complaints, possibly from musicians who had been knocked back by the insurer, the ASA investigated and ruled yesterday that the advert would lead “some viewers to believe the policy covered those who worked in entertainment, when it did not”. Pop, the Authority confirmed, is not himself insured by the AXA Group owned online insurer.

The ruling is perhaps a little too late given that, as we said, and presumably because of the negative coverage that followed the launch of the Pop campaign, Swiftcover have now introduced a package for music types. Something which, it says, few of its competitors currently offer.

A spokesman for the insurer added that their choice of Iggy Pop for the campaign wasn’t influenced by his rock star status, but more his reputation for having a “fast-living lifestyle”. The company claims that it’s online service provides faster insurance cover than that offered by traditional insurers.