A social media ad from life insurance provider Dead Happy has been banned by the country’s advertising watchdog for its allegedly flippant treatment of depression and suicide.
The controversial Facebook ad ran in September and featured an image of a depressed man leaning his head on a wall next to the words “Life insurance is to die for.” The ad also contained an image of a laughing skull and encouraged viewers to “sign up for the easiest life insurance money can buy” using the discount code “SKULLMAN.”
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The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) ordered the ad’s removal after receiving complaints that it was referencing depression and suicide. ASA told ITV News that it was “concerned” that the image, taken together with the skulls and strapline, “trivialised the issue of suicide.”
“We considered that, by trivialising the issue of suicide and alluding to it to promote life insurance, the ad was likely to cause serious offence to some people, including those who had been personally affected by suicide, and was irresponsible,” ASA told ITV News.
For its part, Dead Happy claimed that the ad had no connection to depression or suicide and that it takes mental health “very seriously.” The insurance provider told ITV News that the ad was simply part of a wider campaign using images designed to stop viewers scrolling past them.
