When Did 5 Complaints Beat 10,000 Signatures? The Problem with Policing Creativity in Advertising

How is it that five complaints can get a TV advert pulled from the air, but it takes 10,000 signatures to even prompt a formal response from the UK government? What does that say about creativity in advertising?

The Wild-West Spot That Vanished

If you missed the drama, the recent Twix commercial came onto our screens and disappeared almost immediately. Set in a tongue-in-cheek Wild West backdrop, a driver flys off a cliff, lands on an identical car, and keeps on racing. The sequence feels absurd, over-the-top, and deliberately silly—exactly the kind of story the brand loves.

Why It Worked

This brilliantly bizarre energy echoes Twix’s legendary “Bears Camping” ad that actually made viewers laugh and remember the product. Such playful storytelling injects personality and sticks in your memory.

When Outrage Wins

However, a handful of online critics complained about “unsafe driving,” and regulators pulled the ad after only five complaints. That snap decision sidelined months of work from writers, directors, editors, strategists, and designers.
Because a tiny, vocal minority grumbled, an entire creative team watched its project vanish.

The Cost of Playing It Safe

Surreal, outrageous, and unapologetically imaginative ads belong on TV.
Advertising, after all, aims to entertain, provoke, and inspire rather than mirror everyday life.
If every campaign stays locked in realism, we lose the spark that drives the industry forward.
Creativity then slides into the back seat while caution grabs the wheel.

Let Creatives Create

So let creatives create, let audiences laugh, and—maybe—let’s stop giving five people more power than 10,000!