Ryanair reaps benefits of ad ban press coverage

by Jemima Bokaie, Marketing 15-Apr-08, 08:45

LONDON - Ryanair has generated nearly £1m of incremental media value on the back of seven ads that have been banned by the ASA.

Estimates compiled by Marketing with PR firm Mantra indicate that national newspaper coverage generated by the low-cost airline's catalogue of breaches of advertising codes between May 2006 and March 2008 was worth more than £700,000.

It is estimated that this could reach well over £1m when online and regional newspapers are included, which represents an additional 12.5% of coverage on top of the Irish brand's entire media budget for the period. This was £8,320,117, according to Nielsen Media Research.

Last week, the ASA referred the carrier to the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) for persistently flouting advertising rules and accused it of continuing to mislead consumers and denigrate its competitors. In response, Ryanair submitted its own complaint to the OFT accusing the ASA of 'unfair procedures, bias and factually untrue rulings' against it