Complainants Get Hot Under The Collar Over Heat Ad

The Bartle Bogle Hegarty advertising campaign for EMAP’s new weekly entertainment title, Heat, has resulted in a number of complaints to the ITC. The Commission had by yesterday received just under 200 complaints in reference to the TV commercial, currently being aired (see Newsline).

The ad features people in various situations (in the bath, in a barber shop and on the toilet) bursting into flames when they pick up a copy of Heat. The majority of complaints claimed that such imagery was inappropriate in an advert for a commercial product, and a significant number of these complaints came from people who had direct experience with fire, firemen or people who had been involved in accidents, for instance. There was also fear that the ad might be emulated by children. The ITC is currently considering the complaints.

Heat launched at the beginning of February, after having been shrouded in mystery and called ‘Project J’ by its EMAP. Click here for a first issue review.

Emap Metro: 0171 436 1515 ITC: 0171 255 3000