ASA Unveils Bad Advertising Push

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has unveiled a new marketing push to drive public awareness of its activities, despite receiving growing numbers of complaints from Britain’s increasingly media savvy population.

The new campaign, featuring an intentionally “rubbish” TV spot, with shoddy special effects and dated scenery. The advert, which marks the first television promotion for the watchdog, was created by Columns Design and features an actor on a low budget set with an unrealistic fake backdrop and prop sports car. The advert, which also features poor quality and out-of-synch sound, is explained by the ASA’s strapline which reads “We’re here to make advertising better. (Not to make better advertising. Sorry).”

Commenting on the new campaign, ASA director general Christopher Graham said; “It’s probably the toughest brief you can give an agency – make an ad for the advertising regulator. Whilst we’ve had fun with the campaign, acknowledging that we should leave good advertising to the professionals, the message to consumers is clear. The ASA is here to ensure ads aren’t harmful, offensive or misleading and we are determined to keep advertising standards high.”

Yesterday saw the ASA flex its regulatory muscles in response to nearly 300 complaints against the flurry of irritating ringtone advertisements created by mobile content firm, Jamster. The watchdog dished out a scathing appraisal of the mobile firm’s advertising practices, ruling that they breached TV advertising standards codes, contravened regulations on misleading advertising, preyed on children’s inexperience, caused moral harm and distress, and abused scheduling restrictions.

In what could be seen as a warning to others in the mobile industry, the ASA issued Jamster with a pre-watershed ban on all its advertising, in order to counter its appeal to young viewers (see ASA Dishes Out Pre-Watershed Ban On Crazy Frog).

ASA: 020 7580 5555 www.asa.org.uk