Law Society anti-insurer advert will not be investigated

The Advertising Standards Authority has decided not to launch an investigation into the Law Society’s “don’t get mugged by an insurer” campaign.

The watchdog received six complaints about the advert. Some objected that it denigrated insurers and suggested they were criminals or beat up or bullied claimants. Others complained the image was inappropriate and likely to distress victims of muggings or personal violence.

The ASA said it had considered the complaints and concluded there were no grounds for further action.

“As the ad referred to accident victims, consumers were likely to interpret the image as intended to represent a personal injury claimant and the claim ‘don’t get mugged’ as a colloquial reference to consumers losing out in terms of compensation,” it said in a statement.

“In general, people would not see the ad as suggesting that insurers were criminals or that it was likely to denigrate insurers. While the injuries were realistically depicted and the imagery may have particular resonance with victims of muggings or violence, it was clear that the ad referred to accident victims and that it was unlikely to cause serious or widespread offence or distress.”