'Distressing' Kayak.co.uk brain operation advert banned
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A television advert featuring a surgeon carrying out a brain operation while organising a holiday online has been banned following 441 complaints that it was offensive, distressing and insulting to the medical profession.
The ad for holiday website Kayak.co.uk showed the surgeon "poking around" in the brain before typing on a laptop positioned on the patient.
After a discussion between the surgeon and a nurse about the ethics of the manoeuvre, the surgeon replied sarcastically: "Well, I guess you're the brains of this operation" before moving the patient's arms as if he were punching the nurse, while a voice-over stated: "Go to Kayak.co.uk and you could save up to 20% on your next flight. Kayak. Search one and done."
The ad was cleared for broadcast with no timing restriction.
Of the 441 complaints received by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), "a number" found it offensive, 25 were concerned that it could be distressing to children and 16 believed it was insulting to surgeons and the medical profession in general.
Others including people who had either undergone brain surgery or were about to, and some who had lost family members to brain tumours and other neurological conditions, complained that the ad was "distressing and deeply upsetting".
Kayak acknowledged that "humour could offend at times", and said it tested its advertising for clarity, entertainment value and acceptability but did not see any abnormal research for the campaign in question.
The ad was "so obviously a parody that it was not offensive", and "was neither intended to portray real-life drama nor to prey on fear or anxiety", the company said.
The ASA rejected all the complaints except for those made by viewers who had either personally experienced brain surgery or who had family members who had undergone or were about to undergo that type of surgery.
It said: "Although we understood the ad was intended to be a humorous depiction of someone pressed for time searching for a holiday, we noted a number of complainants had found it distressing and some had found it sickening and deeply offensive because of their personal experience.
"We considered the ad's flippant treatment of a serious and recognisably real situation was likely to cause distress and serious offence to those viewers who had been affected by the type of operation depicted in the ad. We considered the ad was likely to cause distress without justifiable reason and serious offence to some viewers and therefore concluded it breached the Code."
It ruled that the ad must no longer be broadcast in its present form.
PA
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments