23 Jul – Famous for his villainous role as Loki in Marvel's "Thor", English actor Tom Hiddleston's Jaguar commercial for the F-type coupe has been banned for promoting and encouraging irresponsible and unsafe driving. Car manufacturer Jaguar Land Rover had previously launched their online ad campaign, #GoodToBeBad and cast famous British actors including Ben Kingsley, Mark Strong and Tom Hiddleston to star in them.
Their latest instalment is Hiddleston's ad entitled, "The Art of Villainy" where he promotes the Jaguar F-type coupe. The video however, was banned by Britain's Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) for exhibiting dangerous and reckless driving. In the video, a sleek Hiddleston explains why 'Brits play the best villain' by highlighting the qualities and characteristics that a perfect villain should have before he driving off in his Jaguar at high speeds, ending the clip with a dramatic quote from Shakespeare.
According to Metro UK, the reason the ad was banned was because it suggests 'excessive speed'. "Whilst we acknowledged the sequences were brief, we considered that the second part of the ad suggested that the car was being driven at excessive speeds and that the ad therefore encouraged irresponsible driving," explained the statement from the ASA. However, Jaguar Land Rover explained that video was taken entirely in an underground car park and the car drove at normal road speed. They also said that during the shooting of the video, policemen were present throughout the filming. Nevertheless, the ASA stood by its decision regardless of Jaguar's explanations.
Watch Tom Hiddleston's "The Art of Villainy" video