ITC Refuses To Censure Controversial Bungee Jump Ad

The Independent Television Commission has refused to censure an ad for Fosters larger, despite receiving complaints from 184 viewers.

The ad featured camcorder footage of ‘Big Doug’ doing a bungee jump over a river. He then gets his head bitten off by a crocodile, leaving his headless body and arms waving above the river.

The image is accompanied by the commentary: “Oh, that’s going to hurt. Crikey, that’s going to hurt in the morning son” and the strapline: “New Fosters hit tap. Don’t lose your head.”

A number of viewers objected to the ad on the grounds that it was in bad taste, while other complainants were concerned with the scheduling of the ad, which was shown during Jurassic Park and Formula 1 racing.

Some viewers found the style of the ad, which was shot with a camcorder to resemble a You’ve Been Framed clip, alarming, as it suggested the incident was real.

The ITC noted that the ad had been appropriately scheduled as it was not shown in or around any children’s programmes. It also claimed that Jurassic Park uses similar elements of surprise and far more realistic and gory effects.

It concluded that the ad was clearly humorous and the images were not graphic, bloody or realistic and the existing scheduling restrictions on the ad were adequate.

The ITC recently upheld complaints against an advertisement for Sainsbury’s, which claimed that checkout staff would pack customers’ shopping (see ITC Raps Sainsbury’s For Misleading Ads).

ITC: 0207 306 7743 www.itc.org.uk

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