AIB's new car loan advert has been panned for its depiction of cyclists and their interactions with drivers. Have a look and see if you find this "offensive".
Allied Irish Bank has launched a new TV ad for car loans in which having a row with a cyclist is seen as something all drivers must face.
The car loan advert, running to 30 seconds, features all of the stages of buying your first car; according to AIB that is.
It includes the car purchase, using it to move out of home, getting a parking fine, being checked by the Garda, picking up a hiker and so on.
One of the incidents involves the driver's first encounter with a "biker". That section of the advert features an apparently angry cyclist - in pink lycra - remonstrating with the new driver featured in the clip.
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The Dublin Cycling Campaign has taken issue with the advert. It says the clip assumes all cyclists are "weekend warriors". In reality most cycling is not done in lycra, the campaign says.
And the campaign is also objecting to the fact a motorist and cyclist having an angry exchange is seen as something all drivers go through.
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Describing the advert as "ill advised" says the advert "includes a scene where the driver encounters an angry cyclist clad in pink lycra".
"The ad depicts this as a rite of passage for new drivers," the campaign said. "This is offensive and dangerous in a number of ways.
"It normalises an antagonistic relationship between drivers and cyclists, reinforcing the "Us vs Them" narrative seen in other sections of the media.
"It undermines the genuine safety concerns of people who cycle by depicting a cyclist complaining as just being typical cyclist behaviour. Sure cyclists are just a bunch of moaners, right?
"It reinforces the stereotype of the lycra-clad, weekend warrior cyclist. Cycling is normal and doesn't require specialist clothing."
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