An advertisement from Transport for London’s (TfL) recent campaign, titled “Act Like a Friend,” has been banned for reinforcing negative stereotypes about black men. The social media ad aimed to encourage bystanders to intervene when they witness sexual harassment or hate crimes on the TfL network. The controversial depiction featured a black male verbally harassing a young girl, while a white male friend sat nearby, seemingly “boxing her in.”
Following a complaint from a viewer who described the ad as irresponsible and offensive, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) conducted a review. The ASA concluded that the ad perpetuated harmful racial stereotypes about black teenage boys, depicting them as aggressors.
TfL responded to the ASA’s findings, acknowledging that both characters intimidated the victim and exhibited inappropriate behavior. This particular ad was one of three shortened versions produced for social media, derived from a more extensive two-minute film. The other two ads portrayed a white male committing a hate crime against a black woman and another white male.
In its defense, TfL indicated that a typical Facebook user could see various combinations of the campaign ads, estimating that the likelihood of encountering only the problematic ad was around 2 percent. The organization also stated that it employs a bespoke casting diversity tracker to ensure representation reflective of London’s demographic diversity across all campaigns.
The ASA highlighted that when viewed in isolation, the ad reinforced negative racial stereotypes associated with black males and threatening behavior. The authority noted, “The ad showed a black teenage boy verbally harassing a white girl. While the white male friend was present, he was not depicted as jointly intimidating the victim. The only aggressor in the ad was the black teenage boy.”
The ASA’s ruling emphasized that the advertisement was likely to cause serious offense. Consequently, they instructed TfL not to use the ad again in its current form and urged the organization to ensure that future advertisements are socially responsible and avoid perpetuating harmful stereotypes.
A spokesperson for TfL stated, “Our aim is to ensure that our advertising reflects London’s diverse population and does not perpetuate any stereotypes.” They expressed regret that this shortened version of the full two-minute advert, which showcases a diverse range of ethnicities, fell short of their usual standards when viewed alone.
TfL assured the public that, despite the low probability of exposure to the problematic ad, they are committed to adhering to the ASA’s standards. The organization has ceased using this specific advertisement in its ongoing campaign to encourage support for passengers targeted by hate crimes, sexual offenses, and harassment on their transport network.
This incident underscores the critical importance of sensitivity and responsibility in advertising, especially in a multicultural city like London.
