UK Bans Ryanair Bikini Ad —but Not Why You Think

It's not too racy, just too misleading about the weather
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted Apr 27, 2011 6:06 PM CDT
UK Bans Ryanair Bikini Ad —but Not Why You Think
Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary.   (Getty Images)

Britain's advertising watchdog has told budget airline Ryanair it can no longer run a particular ad featuring a bikini-clad model on the beach. Not because it's too risqué, but because the image with the slogan "Book to the sun now" is too misleading, reports the Guardian. (Click the link to see the ad.) It seems none of the destinations included in the offer, which ran in February and March, were all that warm. Places such as Lourdes, Oslo, and Glasgow are generally in the 40s around that time, not exactly bikini weather.

"We considered that the average consumer would infer from the claim 'Book to the sun now' and the image of the woman sunbathing, in a bikini, with a cocktail, that the promotion included fares to destinations warm enough to sunbathe in swimwear during the promotional period," declared the Advertising Standards Authority. "Because we understood this was not the case, we concluded that the ad was misleading." Click to read about other Ryanair stunts. (More Ryanair stories.)

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