Doro's 'your parents' lives may depend on this button' ad ruled fear without reason

Doro ran an online ad on expressen.se for the 'Doro Aurora' mobile phone, showing the back of a phone with a black button featuring a green circle and large green text: 'Your parents' lives may depend on this button', with 'Doro Aurora. A smarter choice' below and a clickable green 'Read more' button. The ad was produced by Nord DDB.

A complainant said the ad played on fear by implying parents could die if they did not have this phone and its button.

Doro argued the wording highlighted the real relevance of the safety button for elderly users and relatives, given genuine concerns about sudden illness or accidents, and that it was a factual, functional description rather than dramatic exaggeration. It said the ad had no excessive drama and no intent to play improperly on fear.

The Opinionsnämnd found the statement 'your parents' lives may depend on this button' was far-reaching and shifted the focus from safety to playing on relatives' fear that something could happen to the parent. A safety button can help summon help but does not guarantee saving a life, so the ad played on fear without valid reason and breached Article 2 of the ICC Code, unanimously.