ITC Puts An X In Microsoft’s Box
The ITC has banned Microsoft from broadcasting a TV ad for its new Xbox games console after 136 viewers complained that it was “offensive” and “inappropriate.”
The ad, created by Bartle Bogle Hegarty, features a new born baby boy being shot through a window. The baby ages as he travels through the air before finally crashing into his own grave as an old man.
According to the ITC, a significant number of viewers felt the ad to be in bad taste and the the final scene was considered to be “particularly offensive” to the recently bereaved.
Microsoft claimed the strapline for the ad, “Life is short. Play more”, was a “positive statement about life”. However, the ITC disagreed and after upholding the complaints ordered the ad to be withdrawn.
It is understood that the ad, which is part of Microsoft’s high profile campaign to promote the Xbox over Sony’s PlayStation 2 and Nintendo’s GameCube, will continue to be shown in cinemas and on the internet.
Recent research from NetValue shows that the online marketing campaign for Microsoft’s Xbox gained exposure among half a million internet users during March, helping games advertisers to reach 13.2% of the UK’s online population (see XBox Online Ads Reach Half A Million In March).
ITC: 020 7255 3000 www.itc.org.uk
Recent TV Stories from NewsLine MTV Delays UK Debut Of The Osbournes Smash Hits TV Celebrates Birthday With Rebrand Telewest Launches Interactive TV Service
Subscribers can access ten years of NewsLine articles by clicking the Search button to the left