ITC Refuses To Uphold Hundreds Of Complaints Against Adverts
Whether the Independent Television Commission (ITC) has any teeth is an ongoing debate in broadcasting, but if it has, it wasn’t showing them to advertisers during July. Three separate television adverts attracted around 100 viewer complaints each, but all were let off the hook by the regulator.
An advert for Heinz Salad Cream caused 112 viewers to contact the ITC. The advert showed a scruffily dressed man going into a corner shop and asking for a “bottle of the usual”, which he is given in a brown paper bag. It turns out the bottle was of Heinz Salad Cream, and as the man approached a dustbin, a voice-over stated the line “Any food tastes supreme with Heinz Salad Cream.”
Some complainants felt that the advert reinforced the steretypical view of homeless people as drunks who ate from dustbins. It was thought to be offensive and degrading to homeless people, as well as exploiting and trivialising serious issues of poverty and alcholism.
The advertisers apologised for offence caused by the advert, but said that it was intended to be quirky and humourous, and that market research had found most people thought it light-hearted. The ITC acknowledged the offence it could cause in some sections of society, but did not judge it unfit for broadcast and therefore did not uphold the complaints.
Market research also came to the rescue of Typhoo Tea, which attracted 94 complaints with its new “Two Thumbs Fresh” campaign. A fictional tea plantation owner, Tommy Singh, and his grinning employees, who feature in the series of adverts, offended some viewers who felt that “the advertising portrayed the Asian plantation workers as simpletons and reinforced negative racial stereotypes.”
However, the advertising agency, Mother, produced evidence of research and consultation carried out with members of the Asian community, including Goodness Gracious Me writer Meera Syal. These sources reported that they found the commercials and characters funny rather than offensive. The ITC therefore did not uphold the complaint, although it recognised that “the commercial illustrated the fine line that can exist between humour and offence.”
The fine line was evident, and perhaps crossed, in Kelkoo.com’s advert for its price comparison website. The advert, which had been approved for post-watershed transmission, showed two men at a urinal, with one man apparently glancing over to compare the size of his penis with the other man’s. The voice-over stated “Comparing is natural…”
Viewers complained that the content and setting of the commercial was offensive, vulgar and irrelevant to the product advertised. The ITC did not uphold these complaints, as while it recognised that the content would not be to all viewers tastes, it was not judged to be inappropriate for the time shown.
ITC: 020 7255 3000