Twix Ad Banned in UK for Encouraging Unsafe Driving
A Twix chocolate ad has been banned in the UK after the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) ruled that the advert encouraged unsafe driving. The ad, titled Two is More Than One, showed a man being chased in a car before pulling a handbrake turn, skidding off the road, and crashing down a rocky hill. He ends up stacked on top of an identical car, where he then casually hands himself a Twix through the sunroof before driving off with the cars still stacked on top of each other. Five people lodged complaints with the ASA, calling the ad dangerous and irresponsible.
Mars Wrigley, which owns Twix, has defended the ad, saying it had a "cinematic presentation" and was set in a world that was “absurd, fantastical and removed from reality.” They insisted the stunts were impossible to recreate and pointed out details like the two hands operating one gearstick as proof of its surreal tone. Clearcast, which approved the ad before broadcast, agreed the style made it clear that it wasn’t meant to be copied and didn’t suggest "safe driving was boring."
However, the ASA has disagreed with Mars Wrigley and Clearcast’s defence of the advert. It said that while the second half of the ad leaned into fantasy, the earlier scenes, which included high-speed driving, a dramatic handbrake turn, and visible skid marks, looked too real. The regulator concluded the ad "condoned unsafe driving" and ruled it "must not appear again" in its current form. Mars Wrigley responded by saying they are reviewing the ruling and remain committed to "high standards across all our communications."
