VH1 Music TV had launched this poster campaign, which drew flakes from several quarters in UK for being misleading. The advertisement is showing three differently colored straws and a rolled up banknote. The bank note appears to have a white material at one end. The text of the poster reads, ‘VH1 Music TV that’s not for kids’. The complainants alleged that the advertisement was offensive and irresponsible and was likely to be seen as making allowances for illegal drug taking.
The advertisers argued that the advertisement was not irresponsible or offensive and did not condone drug taking. They further said that they had taken care not to use images that could be deemed offensive and likely to violate guidelines. On the white material, they extended that was created accidentally during printing. The advertisers maintained that the advertisement was created humorous by contrasting the bank note, an adult image, with straws, a childhood image.
The advertising Standards Authority of UK acknowledged that white material, which appeared at the top of the bank note was a printing error. However, the ASA ruled, ‘the advertisers had published the poster against the advice of the CAP Copy Advice team, which believed it condoned drug taking.’ It further said that the text of the ad implied that drug taking is acceptable for adults and consequently advertisement was irresponsible and likely to cause serious or widespread offence.
Via Best rejected Advertising
