My eyes were drawn to a feature in the Guardian Newspaper (today 17th June 2009) announcing that “Duffy Diet Coke bicycle ad cleared despite health and safety complaints”

If you’ve not seen the multimillion pound TV commercial campaign featuring the singer Duffy cycling through city streets at night, click here.

First shown during the Brit Awards on ITV earlier this year, the advertising watchdog received a total of 22 complaints that the ad either “condoned behaviour prejudicial to health and safety” because she was not seen wearing reflective clothing or using lights, or that it was irresponsible because “children might copy her behaviour.”

Closer inspection of the ad shows Duffy wearing a black and white sequined top that reflects the light to give her a luminous glow so that she stands out in the dark and as Coca-Cola points out, the bike does have lights.  Whether they were switched on is another matter. I can’t see any evidence that they were but perhaps you are more eagle eyed than I?

But I do wonder about these 22 complainants.

Are they the type whose children are glued to the latest computer games 24/7 never venturing into the wide open world for fresh air and exercise?

Perhaps they are the sort of person whose lives are so bound up by health and safety that they never experience life as it was meant to be?

Or is it more likely that this fabulous image of a young trendy woman riding in heels has pricked the conscience of those day-glow spandex clad cyclists who rebel against anyone cycling in everyday work or leisure wear?

But what concerns me more is that the advertising authority said that the cycling sequence was clearly ‘unreal and fantastical’!  So, going to the shops at night on your bike, in heels and urban chic apparel is unreal and fantastical? I suggest they visit Derby to see just how many cycle divas do just that!

Let me know your thoughts.  Take the poll!