UK advertising regulator bans offensive radio ad
11 Aug 2010
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), UK's independent advertising regulator, has banned a radio advertisement by the Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo), deeming it offensive.
The ad, broadcast on TalkSport radio station, urged listeners to report neighbours who kept to themselves, paid by cash instead of credit cards, keep their curtains shut and didn't socialise much, as they could be possible terrorists.
The callers were asked to call the police's anti-terror hotline to report such cases.
18 listeners complained about the ad, saying that it could lead to undue harassment and victimisation of innocent citizens.
ASA ruled that ad could upset law-abiding citizens who might identify with the behaviours tagged in the ad.
But the regulator accepted that the advertisement had a measured tone and hence rejected complaints that the ad could provoke fear or cause harrasement.
Acpo apologised to those offended saying that the aim of the series of adverts was to alert the public and was not inteneded to cause offence.
It added that the advertisement was based on trends identified by the police and specific circumstances that had been amongst the evidence preesnted in court at terrorism trials.
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) is the UK's independent regulator for advertising across all media, including TV, internet, sales promotions and direct marketing.
