News - Insurance
Mortgage Solutions | 19 Sep 2011 | 09:25
Aviva suffered a massive backlash on social media site Twitter last night against its placement of an advert for income protection (IP) showing a motorbike accident during ITV's popular period drama Downton Abbey.
The advert aims to show how IP can safeguard customers' standard of living in the event they are unable to work, for example due to an accident.
But angry viewers labelled it "depressing" and said it spoiled their enjoyment of the eagerly awaited start of the second series of the hit show.
Many on Twitter were so outraged at the advert that they vowed they would never buy another Aviva product.
Below are the results of a Twitter search during and just after the show for 'Aviva Downton Abbey':
EddCrocker Edward Crocker
Aviva sponsorship of downton abbey is shameful does this mean that all bikers are going to have an accident, rubbish.
ryanmills Ryan Mills
The Aviva sponsorship of Downton Abbey are so bloody depressing for a show that's meant to be entertaining. Poorly thought out strategy.
davehudson77 Dave Hudson
@avivaukgi I will never buy aviva products thanks to their Sunday evening-ruining adverts on Downton Abbey! Sack your marketing director!
TheRothSays tom roth.
Aviva idents on Downton Abbey, shocking. "Gary" instantly amongst the most appalling characters on tv
Weddingfilms4U Vanessa Williams
Watching a 90 minute Aviva advert with a few seconds of Downton Abbey squeezed inbetween
martinbamford Martin Bamford
By watching Spooks I've managed to a) avoid watching Downton Abbey and b) avoid the misguided sounding #aviva ads. Double bonus.
simperman Paul Simper
They are truly rubbish. RT @RyanJL: Here's what Aviva were hoping to achieve with the awful Downton Abbey ident 'story' bit.ly/qPuCsY
thirdbreakfast Dan A
Note to Aviva: the tone of your placements around the Downton Abbey break will only create a resolve to never buy your products. Please note
auntietee75 T E
AVIVA ads are so depressing. Terrible interruptions to lovely Downton Abbey!!
Singstar1982 Vikki Lyons
Right! Downton Abbey is so beautiful, why are they depressing us with those Aviva adverts!!
HRWright Hugh Wright
Loving Downton Abbey; 'Gary's Story' from Aviva, not so much. Disappointed he survived the bike crash, frankly. #downtonabbey
mattcooke_uk Matt Cooke
Dear Aviva. There's room for only one Gary on the ITV1 Sunday schedule - Mr Barlow - not the poor bloke depicted in your Downton Abbey ads.
cjiqbal Chaudhry Javed Iqbal
Don't think the Aviva biker accident advert on ITV does justice to #Downton Abbey
kjalee Katy Lee
Ofcom are surely going to get a flood of complaints about the Aviva ads sponsoring Downton Abbey
Lockers75 Justin Lockwood
The #Aviva adverts during Downton Abbey are the worst I've EVER seen #simples
mattcooke_uk Matt Cooke
Downton Abbey being slightly ruined by Aviva sponsorship trails which feature someone stuck in an upturned car. Hmm.
BookJo Joanna Sholem
Aviva ad dumb intro to Downton Abbey - totally disconcerting transition I thought They didn't have motorbikes in 1916....
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Recent comments
A ton of free advertising for AVIVA on the back of the complaints.
Ian Griffiths
19 Sep 2011 | 10:12
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I dislike Aviva for different reasons, useless underwriting and bad administration in a claim. As for their adverts, good on them, if it stirred up a Hornets nest and provoked the need for Life Cover and Financial Protection I say a job well done. Unfortunately, even during Happy TV entertainment, death IS happening. Death and injury does not stop for entertainment it happens daily and since Downton Abbey was shown last night, approx. 2,000 people in the UK died, let's just hope they all had their life cover in place and have not left their families destitute and without a TV! By the way Joanne, they DID have motorbikes in 1916, check your history books
Nigel Summerton
19 Sep 2011 | 10:36
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OH. MY. GOD. Do people seriously not have better things to tweet about? Brain into gear before fingers into action? And with regards to the (incorrect) comment about the advert not being relevant to the era being portrayed - it's doubtful that ANY of the adverts shown in the break had any relevance to 1916! And as Ian noted above - death still happens, as does critical illness, fire, flood and burglaries - all those things that people think will 'never happen to me' and therefore don't sufficiently cover themselves for. Finally, in these days of Freeview, Sky, Teevo etc - just press the fastforward button!
Michaela
19 Sep 2011 | 11:04
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This is real life , accidents do happen, and having a good insurance policy does count, it can be the difference between keeping your home and losing it, i say well done for bringing this kind of sitution to peoples attention.
zsmith
20 Sep 2011 | 15:04
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