task 6 advert review

The ASA is the UK’s independent regulator of advertising across all media. They make sure all advertisements are appropriate and decide weather they can be viewed by the public or not.

To make a complaint about an advertisement you find offensive you first have to check if your complaint is covered by the ASA. If your complaint is covered you can then submit it online, by telephone, text phone or write to the ASA. They will then assign a person who will be your point of contact. If the complaint is small like a minor mistake it will be resolved very quickly but if it is a bigger case then an investigation will have to take place. This means that the ASA council will rule on an outcome. Any adverts that are seen to be offensive will then be taken down.

This is the advert I watched: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dzcRSr6PW_o

This video starts out with many different celebrities saying what appears to be a bleeped out swear word. It then becomes apparent that the word they are saying is not a swear word but actually ‘famine’. The advert goes on to explain how bad famine was in 2011 and how it has to change. Later on in the advert some of the celebrities then goon to swear but it is covered up and bleeped out. 

This advert could be banned because it suggests the use of offensive language. And for parents who have younger children it could be seen as offensive because they do not want their children hearing that kind of language.

I think that this advert shouldn’t be banned because by bleeping out the word famine it is trying to explain to people that famine should be as obscure as swearing. We shouldn’t be aloud to say it because famine shouldn’t be happening. It is also quite shocking at the beginning this catches people attention and makes people aware of how shocking famine is. By using celebrities it also entices a younger audience to be more aware of what is happening in the world around them.

The reason that advertisement was banned is because they breeched the rules for political advertising.  The aim was to keep political propaganda off British television.

I do not believe that this advert should have been banned because although it is putting a political view across to the public it is clearly for the greater good. It is to try and help make people aware of the famine in Africa. As humans we are very selfish but being exposed to real problems that are happening in the world may make us less selfish and more likely to do something about the famine in other places. It is very important for people to understand what has happened in certain countries because of what man has done. There are plenty of supplies to go around the world. The point of the advert was for the people that are experiencing famine and to try and get people to understand it isn’t right. So I do not see how it would be used for political propaganda.

This advert was very effective and the fact that it was banned is ridiculous. It should be shown to more people. People do not need to be sheltered from what they have essentially caused.