August 15, 2003 (London, England) – Dahon California, Inc. the world's leading manufacturer of folding bicycles today announced the formal filing of a complaint to the UK Advertising Standards Authority over a Smirnoff Ice advertisement produced by JWT for Diageo.

The ad campaign resembles a recycling campaign (as if produced by the Aluminium Marketing Board) and uses an image of a Dahon folding bike to show what kind of products aluminium is wasted on, when it could be made into cans filled with a certain alcopop.

Tick boxes on the city light posters indicate which products use aluminium sensibly (such as cans of Smirnoff Ice) and which are a waste, including a Dahon folding bicycle with an aluminium frame and components.

Dahon will request that Diageo withdraw the ads and issue an apology for denigrating bicycles generally and Dahon and folding bicycles specifically.

Joshua Hon, Dahon VP Sales & Marketing explains, “The ads were a pretty big shock – Diageo and their ad agency JWT are unbelievably implying that Smirnoff alcopop – with a disposable can that goes immediately into a landfill – is a better use of aluminium than a bicycle – a healthy and non-polluting form of transportation.”

“But even more insulting is that by using a Dahon folding bike for this ad, Diageo also discredit our company and the whole bike industry since just about every bicycle made uses aluminium components and/or an aluminium frame. As a company dedicated to promoting environmental responsibility and clean forms of transportation, we feel that this ad campaign causes material harm to our brand and image. We reserve the right to take further legal action and our US legal office is investigating the case.”

Mark Bickerton, Director of Cyclemotion Ltd., the Dahon UK distributor adds: “If you consider that one of Mayor Ken Livingstone's goals in implementing the London congestion charge was to boost bicycle usage and that this program has been almost universally hailed as a success, Diageo's campaign against bicycles becomes even more bizarre.”

“I'd say that Diageo's ad guys had a bit too much Smirnoff Ice when they came up with the campaign but I'm not sure that it's strong enough for it to be used as an excuse,” concluded Hon. News of the ad campaign was first reported to the bicycle industry by bikebiz.co.uk, the UK's leading industry magazine and webzine.

Dahon is committed to creating innovative mobility solutions for people who live active, environmentally friendly lifestyles. In 1982 Dahon ignited the portable bicycle revolution with the introduction of the Dahon Folder, the world's first mass-production portable bicycle. Dahon is the world leader in portable bicycles and is headquartered in California, with factories and offices in Taiwan and China. Dahon can be reached at: email – contact@dahon.com Internet – www.dahon.com.

Dahon is a registered trademark of Dahon California Inc.