France requires car ads to promote walking, biking, riding a bus
01-04-22 | 09:16 AM
#1
France requires car ads to promote walking, biking, riding a bus
Vive la différence? But Hyundai exec points out a problem
France's government has decided to require that automakers promote walking, biking, or taking the bus in their ads. Starting on March 1, 2022, ads for new cars will have to display one of several green slogans regardless of whether they're in print, on a screen, or on the radio.
Ad agencies will have three messages to choose from: "pour les trajets courts, privilégiez la marche ou le vélo" ("walk or bike if you're taking a short trip"), "pensez à covoiturer" ("remember to use car-sharing services"), and "au quotidien, prenez les transports en commun" (use public transportation for everyday trips"). Print, online, and television ads will also need to display the hashtag #SeDéplacerMoinsPolluer (#MovingPollutingLess). Companies that don't comply with the new regulations will be fined up to 50,000 euros (about $56,500) per day.
The law adds that the message needs to appear horizontally and in a space that takes up at least 7% of the ad, so companies won't be able to get away with hiding it in a tire or somewhere off in the distance. On the radio, the message has to be legibly spoken at the end of the ad.
Response to the rule has been mixed. Volkswagen told French newspaper Le Monde that it plans to comply with the regulations. Hyundai's French division will comply as well, but its CEO raised a few issues with the government-mandated messages.
"There's a paradox: the law doesn't differentiate between the different powertrain types. That's a bit counter-productive if we consider that the government wants to increase EV sales. I think it also takes away personal responsibility, and it stigmatizes the car. It means that, broadly speaking, we need to find alternatives to driving. It's the first time that the government sends such a direct message. If I'm going on a short trip that requires taking a busy road, I'm not going to walk or take my bike," said Hyundai France CEO Lionel French Keogh.
Similar messages already appear on some food products. Mars needs to tell French consumers to eat five portions of fruits and vegetables daily when it promotes its Snickers bar. Meanwhile, tobacco manufacturers have been banned from using any form of branding since 2016.
Ad agencies will have three messages to choose from: "pour les trajets courts, privilégiez la marche ou le vélo" ("walk or bike if you're taking a short trip"), "pensez à covoiturer" ("remember to use car-sharing services"), and "au quotidien, prenez les transports en commun" (use public transportation for everyday trips"). Print, online, and television ads will also need to display the hashtag #SeDéplacerMoinsPolluer (#MovingPollutingLess). Companies that don't comply with the new regulations will be fined up to 50,000 euros (about $56,500) per day.
The law adds that the message needs to appear horizontally and in a space that takes up at least 7% of the ad, so companies won't be able to get away with hiding it in a tire or somewhere off in the distance. On the radio, the message has to be legibly spoken at the end of the ad.
Response to the rule has been mixed. Volkswagen told French newspaper Le Monde that it plans to comply with the regulations. Hyundai's French division will comply as well, but its CEO raised a few issues with the government-mandated messages.
"There's a paradox: the law doesn't differentiate between the different powertrain types. That's a bit counter-productive if we consider that the government wants to increase EV sales. I think it also takes away personal responsibility, and it stigmatizes the car. It means that, broadly speaking, we need to find alternatives to driving. It's the first time that the government sends such a direct message. If I'm going on a short trip that requires taking a busy road, I'm not going to walk or take my bike," said Hyundai France CEO Lionel French Keogh.
Similar messages already appear on some food products. Mars needs to tell French consumers to eat five portions of fruits and vegetables daily when it promotes its Snickers bar. Meanwhile, tobacco manufacturers have been banned from using any form of branding since 2016.
01-04-22 | 10:48 AM
#4
no chance.
also, this quote from hyundai ceo made me laugh...
it's not about powertrain type, govts clearly want less cars of any kind on roads. they consider them a headache and earnest 'urban planners' love the idea of no cars, people walking, biking, and pub tran everywhere.
i can sympathize with their view in dense cities, but not outside them.
also, this quote from hyundai ceo made me laugh...
"There's a paradox: the law doesn't differentiate between the different powertrain types. That's a bit counter-productive if we consider that the government wants to increase EV sales. I think it also takes away personal responsibility, and it stigmatizes the car. ..."
i can sympathize with their view in dense cities, but not outside them.
01-04-22 | 11:03 AM
#6
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Joined: May 2010
Posts: 2,650
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From: SF Bay Area, CA
I've got some sympathy with the intent here too. People do tend to take a car when there are other means to safely get there that might actually be good for them. The French don't quite have the problem with obesity we do, but more people doing at least something active is never a bad thing - whether in France, here or anywhere. Lots of journeys we take by car are safely walkable, ridable or could be taken by other means. If they are not, by all means take the car.
Now, these requirements for ads aren't going to change much, no one is going to have a health and wellness epiphany just because they saw a tagline on a car ad, but when they hear it often enough across different media it does start to make a difference. And obesity, in large part due as much to sedentary behavior as much as other obvious causes, is a big problem.
Walk, hike, bike and losing a few pounds is something to be encouraged.
Now, these requirements for ads aren't going to change much, no one is going to have a health and wellness epiphany just because they saw a tagline on a car ad, but when they hear it often enough across different media it does start to make a difference. And obesity, in large part due as much to sedentary behavior as much as other obvious causes, is a big problem.
Walk, hike, bike and losing a few pounds is something to be encouraged.
01-04-22 | 12:11 PM
#7
Lexus Champion
Joined: Oct 2019
Posts: 12,192
Likes: 1,277
From: Ohio
If they aren't I would go so far as to include the required items in a lead section of the add showing people having a horrible time walking in the rain and being packed into a bus/train and generally having a bad time.
Last edited by Striker223; 01-04-22 at 12:25 PM.
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01-04-22 | 12:13 PM
#8
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Joined: Oct 2019
Posts: 12,192
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From: Ohio
I've got some sympathy with the intent here too. People do tend to take a car when there are other means to safely get there that might actually be good for them. The French don't quite have the problem with obesity we do, but more people doing at least something active is never a bad thing - whether in France, here or anywhere. Lots of journeys we take by car are safely walkable, ridable or could be taken by other means. If they are not, by all means take the car.
Now, these requirements for ads aren't going to change much, no one is going to have a health and wellness epiphany just because they saw a tagline on a car ad, but when they hear it often enough across different media it does start to make a difference. And obesity, in large part due as much to sedentary behavior as much as other obvious causes, is a big problem.
Walk, hike, bike and losing a few pounds is something to be encouraged.
Now, these requirements for ads aren't going to change much, no one is going to have a health and wellness epiphany just because they saw a tagline on a car ad, but when they hear it often enough across different media it does start to make a difference. And obesity, in large part due as much to sedentary behavior as much as other obvious causes, is a big problem.
Walk, hike, bike and losing a few pounds is something to be encouraged.
01-04-22 | 12:57 PM
#10
no chance.
it's not about powertrain type, govts clearly want less cars of any kind on roads. they consider them a headache and earnest 'urban planners' love the idea of no cars, people walking, biking, and pub tran everywhere.
i can sympathize with their view in dense cities, but not outside them.
it's not about powertrain type, govts clearly want less cars of any kind on roads. they consider them a headache and earnest 'urban planners' love the idea of no cars, people walking, biking, and pub tran everywhere.
i can sympathize with their view in dense cities, but not outside them.
As far as banning cars in dense cities, even Julius Caesar used to ban personal horse carts from Rome to avoid gridlock. Thing is, cities don't really have much traffic, most of its is created by oblivious suburbanites driving in and creating traffic. If not an outright ban, there should be a very high toll for personal cars to enter cities during peak hours.
01-04-22 | 01:22 PM
#11
Lexus Fanatic
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 91,715
Likes: 89
From: Virginia/D.C. suburbs
01-04-22 | 01:23 PM
#12
Lexus Fanatic
Joined: May 2012
Posts: 58,376
Likes: 2,793
From: Maryland
01-04-22 | 01:30 PM
#14
