Panda advert falls foul of watchdog

A SCOTTISH Government advert, welcoming two pandas to Edinburgh Zoo, has been criticised by the advertising regulator.

While the Advertising Standards Authority rejected two complaints – by Animal Concern and Scotland for Animals – it upheld a third, that the pandas arrived in return for a contribution towards panda conservation in China, and so the animals did not, in its view, therefore constitute a ‘gift’.

In terms of action, says the ASA: “The ad must not appear again in its current form. We told the Scottish Government not to imply in future that the pandas at Edinburgh Zoo were provided without payment.”

Read the full adjudication here. Read more, here.