Twix advertisement banned for encouraging dangerous driving
This advert used the common company theme of imaginative storytelling with absurd elements to project the message that "Two is More Than One"
Print13 June 2025
A TV ad for Twix has recently been banned for encouraging unsafe driving to the public.
The advertisement portrays a long-haired driver crashing his caramel-coloured vehicle on top of a similarly colored car and driving away with the slogan “two is more than one” appearing on screen.
Five complaints were issued against the advert, stating that it encouraged dangerous driving and was irresponsible.
Mars-Wrigley, who own Twix, argued that the ad had a “cinematic presentation, and was set in a world that was absurd, fantastical and removed from reality”, which Clearcast, the non-governmental organisation that approves adverts before broadcast, echoed.
The response is relayed further as they said Twix was “known for its playful and absurd tone, and the humour in the ad reflected that and aligned with the slogan ‘Two is More Than One’.”
ASA
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) ultimately ruled that the ad “must not appear again” in its current form because it “condoned unsafe driving”.
While the ASA acknowledged that the stunt performed highlighted the fantastical nature of the advert, it took issue with the first half of the video that showed driving “that appeared likely to breach the legal requirements of the Highway Code.”
Mars went on to defend the advert, stating, “the cars were shot driving at lawful speeds and any emulation would only reflect the legal and safe driving presented”.
Clearcast, the pre-broadcast approval body, went on to state that the ad’s fantastical and cinematic presentation made it clear that the driving was “exaggerated and not intended to be emulated.”
It therefore did not encourage people to breach the Highway Code, but also suggested that safe driving was boring to viewers.
This advert used the common company theme of imaginative storytelling with absurd elements to project the message that “Two is More Than One” and did so in a way that was unlikely to be understood as showing reasonable driving practices, and is currently going viral for its airing.
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