Offensiveness is not an offence
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) defended a bit of “edginess” on behalf of Asda when it rejected a complaint from an affronted British-Uruguayan, who protested against an Asda advert on the grounds that it was offensive to his countrymen. Issued within hours of England’s defeat against Germany in the 2010 football world cup, Asda optician’s online promotion stated: “Our special World Cup offer – free eye tests for all Uruguayans. Like everyone in England, we couldn’t believe our eyes when the Uruguayan referee and linesman failed to recognise Frank Lampard’s equalising goal against Germany.” Asda’s risk-taking paid off – as well as 15 people taking up the offer, the ASA cleared the retailer of any wrongdoing, saying: “We considered that most readers would interpret it as football banter rather than malice towards Uruguayans.” Nevertheless Asda apologised, saying that future similar campaigns would be extended to all Fifa-registered referees and their assistants.
Some proof to your spoof?
It was not so much the spoof campaign as its credulous reception that hit the headlines after Fox’s £3m campaign to promote its new Rocky bar. The hoax highlighted the “dangers” of eating biscuits. A “workplace biscuit risk assessment test” was created by the spoof British Biscuit Advisory Board and issued to 5,849 UK council workers. The skit was so convincing that 437 wary council staff actually completed the online survey. But who has the last laugh? Press after the campaign showed it had some crumbs of truth. The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RSPA) revealed that 400 people a year in Britain are treated in A&E for biscuit-related accidents, including falling over while reaching for a biscuit and slipping on a chocolate biscuit on the stairs. But the RSPA admitted: “You have very little to fear from biscuits as a general rule.”
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