The Law Society has again forced to defend their “Don’t Get Mugged By An Insurer” advertising campaign after the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) confirmed that they had received five complaints following its release.
The Association of British Insurers (ABI) and the Forum of Insurance Lawyers (FIL) have both expressed their disappointment in the Society’s approach and have both previously urged them to withdraw the campaign but The Law Society remain resolute that the ad campaign can continue.
Defending the approach The Law Society said: “We are not Coca Cola or Direct Line. Our marketing budgets are much more limited.
“So, in order to maximise effectiveness, our adverts need to be eye-catching and memorable.
“We have had a great deal of positive feedback from members about the campaign, and we are confident that the adverts will meet all appropriate standards.”
ASA has refused to force the removal of the advert, which displays the image of a bruised accident victim, and it is likely that they will wait another week to decide whether or not the advert actually breaks any rules.
They did reveal however that the complaints that they had received, accused The Law Society’s advertisement of being misleading and defamatory.
The Law Society decided to take their tough stance as a reaction to the industry reforms which meant that claimants now had to contribute their own legal fees in light of a successful claim as legal fees were no longer covered by the defence.
They wanted to get the point across that if accident victims took the insurers early offers before hiring legal representation, they were likely to receive 4 times less than they would if they were to make their claim through the court.
Image source
1. Wikipedia; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_Society_of_England_and_Wales#/media/File:Law_Society_of_England_and_Wales.svg
