E-bike advertisement goes too far for French TV
An e-bike advertisement with a Kiwi connection has been banned from French television because it was deemed to ‘‘discredit’’ the car industry.
The advertisement was developed by Amsterdam-based company VanMoof, whose chief marketing officer, Dave Shoemack, is based in O¯ whiro Bay in Wellington.
Shoemack joined VanMoof in Amsterdam five years ago and is now working remotely for the company from New Zealand’s capital.
The advertisement was part of the launch of the company’s new S3 and X3 e-bikes, and had already been screening in the Netherlands and Germany.
But when the company approached private French advertising body ARPP about screening the advertisement there, the application was rejected.
Shoemack said with e-bike sales soaring and the advertisement doing well in the Netherlands and Germany, the French rejection came as a shock.
‘‘There are a whole lot of really great sustainability initiatives in France right now trying to get people out of cars and onto bikes.
‘‘Based on the response to the advertisement so far, and the fact the timing seemed right in France, we decided we wanted to help be a part of that change.’’
It was concerning the company was trying to make a statement about how people travelled and there were ‘‘still forces at play trying to block that’’, said Shoemack.
‘‘To get rejected based on discrediting the car industry, that just feels really wrong.’’
In an email to VanMoof explaining its decision, ARPP said the advertisement painted an unfair picture of the car industry.
‘‘Certain shots present in the car’s reflections appear, in our opinion, disproportionate and discredit the entire automobile sector . . . while creating an anxietyprovoking climate,’’ a translated version said.
The decision referred to images of an accident involving sirens and an upended car, and said those images would need to be modified. It said the International Chamber of Commerce prohibited any exploitation of feelings of fear or suffering in commercial communications.
The new e-bikes were launched in April and are available online in 35 countries and in-store in nine cities. They are not yet available in New Zealand.
The bikes were developed purely as a commuting vehicle, to provide a faster and cheaper option than cars, Shoemack said.
The rejection of the advertisement has attracted media coverage from numerous publications in Europe and the United States.
The company would not fight the decision because it did not want to be forced to edit its advertisement in any way, Shoemack said.
In a media release circulated overseas, VanMoof said it was the first time a bike commercial had been banned from airing.
The rejection came at a time when e-bike demand was at an ‘‘all-time high, and cities are transforming day-to-day’’, it said.
When Shoemack joined the company in 2015, it had about 25 staff. It now employed more than 300, he said.