A breakfast cereal company is the latest group to remove a scene from a commercial showing children riding their bikes on a footpath.
A Kellogg's television commercial promoting Coco Pops showed two children rushing to serve breakfast before realising they are out of milk. They grab their bikes and race along a footpath to a store to purchase more.
According to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), two complaints had recently been received about the commercial, concerned about it showing children biking on a path.
New Zealand's Land Transport (Road User) Rule 2004 states that a person "must not ride a cycle on a footpath or on a lawn, garden, or other cultivation forming part of a road".
The complainants note that the ASA in February upheld a complaint about a commercial promoting a Meadow Fresh product which also featured children riding bikes on a path.
"Following from the complaint upheld regarding the Meadow Fresh ad showing a young girl riding a bike on the footpath, the Kellogg's Coco Pop ad shows the same thing where the kids race to the dairy to get milk. Therefore promoting illegal use of a bicycle," a complainant said.
The ASA Chair "accepted the complaints to go before the Complaints Board to consider whether the Advertising Standards Code had been breached".
It said that as part of the self-regulatory process, advertisers can amend or remove their advertising to comply with advertising codes.
"Upon receipt of the complaints the Advertiser acknowledged the discussion occurring in New Zealand about a proposed change in law regarding the riding of bikes on footpaths. In light of this ongoing discussion, the Advertiser has offered to remove the scene of the children riding on the path," the ASA said.
"Given the Advertiser’s co-operative engagement with the process and the self-regulatory action of amending the advertisement, the Chair said that it would serve no further purpose to place the matter before the Complaints Board."
The Chair ruled the matter settled.
