Twix Ad Banned for Encouraging Unsafe Driving

A television advert for Twix has been banned in the UK after regulators concluded it encouraged reckless driving and breached advertising standards.

The ad, which featured a dramatic car chase between two nearly identical caramel-coloured vehicles, ends with the cars crashing and stacking atop each other in a visual nod to the chocolate bar’s twin-stick design. The final scene shows a Twix bar falling through the sunroofs of the cars before they drive off conjoined, under the slogan: “Two is more than one.”

Five viewers lodged complaints with the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), claiming the commercial glamorised dangerous driving and promoted behaviour that could breach road safety laws.

While Mars-Wrigley, the company behind Twix, defended the ad as a stylised and surreal piece of entertainment, the ASA disagreed. Despite the fantastical elements and cinematic tone, the regulator found that the first half of the advert appeared to depict unlawful driving and placed “emphasis on speed,” supported by visual effects such as skid marks and fast-paced music.

“The ad must not appear again in its current form,” the ASA ruled, stating that it “condoned unsafe driving” and did not do enough to signal that the stunts were not meant to be imitated.

Mars insisted that all scenes were filmed at legal speeds and claimed the intention was to deliver “playful absurdity” in line with Twix’s brand identity. The company also pointed out that Clearcast – the organisation responsible for approving adverts before broadcast – had approved the spot, agreeing that it was clearly unrealistic and exaggerated.

Nonetheless, the ASA concluded that viewers could interpret some parts of the ad as a depiction of real-world driving, and reminded Mars not to promote conduct that could encourage breaches of the Highway Code in future campaigns.