Wednesday 6 August 2014

We are doomed, I tell you, doomed.

From the BBC:

Supermarket giant Morrisons cannot rebroadcast an advert for burgers after a watchdog ruled that it "condoned poor nutritional habits".

The TV commercial showed a mother preparing a burger for her daughter while they talk about school.

The girl then removes the salad, onion and tomato from the burger and leaves them on the side of her plate.

The Advertising Standards Authority ruled that this "suggested she was not going to eat the salad later".


It didn't "suggest" anything:


And Morrisons' defence...

Morrisons was represented at the hearing by industry body Clearcast, which approved the advertisement before it went on air.

It argued that "the daughter did not look disdainfully at the salad items or make a face that implied she did not like them or would not eat them in the future" and that "it was perfectly feasible that she would return to it later".


Pathetic.

14 comments:

Lola said...

ASA = Fascism. Their actions are straight out of the Nazi Playbook. I have read it. I know this.

Lola said...

Also, am I a bit weird? I have liked salad all my life.

Derek said...

Me too. Especially a nice crisp heart of lettuce. And I'm definitely weird.

Lola said...

@D.

For me its radishes and spring onions.

Mark In Mayenne said...

So is proles can be conditioned into buying stuff as long as we don't get conditioned into bad eating habits?

Kj said...

You should do a banned ads feature post, a chronicle of the glory of ASA´s care for the community.

Mark Wadsworth said...

Kj, excellent idea. Maybe I can delegate that to… er… you?

Do they ban so many advertisements in Norway? Or are the rules so strict that everybody obeys them anyway?

Kj said...

I'll get on it!

Well, the following is banned in telly commercials: alcohol, tobacco, drugs, political parties, anything directed at children. With those sweeping restrictions, oddly enough, cases like the above would be unheard of here. The UK really is at the forefront of facepalm-type paternalism. Here it's more if it isn't banned it's legal.

Kj said...

If it isn't outright banned that is. Anything to do with ciggies and drink is highly illegal, but programs on public radio teaching kids about the glory of anal is fine. It's strange like that.

Mark Wadsworth said...

Kj, yes, all cigarette advertising was completely banned here years ago. There are TV adverts for alcohol but they have to have warnings about 'responsible drinking'.

And the UK government pays for about a quarter of all adverts, telling us to stop smoking, eat healthy, take more exercise, do our tax returns on time, not to cheat on our benefit claims forms, not employ illegal immigrants etc etc.

I read that some Scandinavian countries banned adverts for "junk food" before nine o'clock, but that was probably Sweden.

The UK government would love to do that.

Kj said...

PSAs are disgusting. There's principally nothing wrong with them, they just are just universally horrible.
No, not here, yet. Not to say that it's not on the table. But abolishing bans is a big thing these days, even the lefties are on the liberalising paternalism bandwagon. But again not in ciggies. The biggest setback was a new law in effect by next year, where not only ciggies, but e-cigs and snus is not allowed on train terminals, bus stops or local govt property. I mean WTF.

Mark Wadsworth said...

Kj: "not only ciggies, but e-cigs and snus is not allowed on train terminals, bus stops or local govt property. I mean WTF."

Same in this country. They're completely insane.

Pablo said...

From a purely practical pov, you'd either have to unload the burger or the salad, just so as to be able to get the bloody thing into your gob - look at the height of it!!!!

Bayard said...

"They're completely insane."

They are not insane, they are Puritans and they want to stop anyone enjoying anything, but especially nicotine. It would be better if they really were insane.