Be careful how you put your ads out there!!

[WearTheFoxHat]

The London-based Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has banned an ad by a United Kingdom-based window film company questioning the possibility of flying glass and glass breakage in light of the upcoming Olympic Games in London.

The text of the ad, published by United Kingdom-based Northgate Solar Controls (NSC), read as follows: “How safe are you behind your glass? Clear anti-shatter window film helps to: Prevent flying glass from explosions. Stop spalling if glass is hit. Reduce risk by ensuring glass breaks safe. Upgrade glass to comply with BS6206 Standards.”

According to the report from the ASA, the NSC ad also claimed there was a “red alert for [the] Olympic Games” in place and made references to “terrorist threats.” The flyer was mailed to about 4,400 London and surrounding county businesses by the company in February 2012.

http://www.windowfil...p/archives/2825

[Roach]

These are the rules they said the ad violated.... Took me a little bit to find them, so I figured I'd just post for all to see...

[TintDude]

Wow 4.1 is kinda vague.

[TintDude]

Seems like they were just following the gov and media's lead, they have really hyped it up to a fear level. This company, in my opinion, was just offering a solution to the fear others put out there.

[TintDude]

We are sold things based on fear all the time.

Airbags, can we not say they are helpful in case of a crash? We fear crashes, they are a real threat.

X-ray metal detectors and pat downs at airports, it's an entire industry now based and sold on fear. Where do we draw the line and who decides?

[Roach]

It's very vague...

I find the whole thing a bit odd though... the ads were already mailed.... It's not like they can go and unmail them. lol They will just have to make adjustments to the ad for future mailings.

They did play off the fear that the gov and/or media already put in place... but as I was reading the article, I thought they might have gone a little too far. Actually, as I was reading it, I thought they were going to come down on them for the claims made of what the film can do... which wasn't even mentioned. (Not that I think they made false claims.... )