Human Race Regains Sense of Humor
Humor. Heard of It?
Last Month a KFC ad, showing call center workers singing with their mouths full to promote KFC's Zinger Crunch Salad, which ran in England garnered a record 1,671 complaints to the country's Advertising Standards Authority because many felt it would cause bad manners among children. At the time we said that was ridiculous and wondered if the human race was losing its sense of humor. Today, the ASA has agreed with us stating it did not agree with those that lodged complaints and that the ad was unlikely to cause bad manners. Parents teach manners. Commercials don't. There's a difference.
Comments
Just wanted to let you know that I'm using the image used in this article. I hope you don't mind.
P.S. the next most complained about article was the print ad about safe sex and the pope in a helmet. I wasn't there. I never saw it. Sounds worse than chewing with your mouth open though.
Just the opinion of a random American.
Are you saying that commercials can't influence behaviour?
I "agree" with Peter Simpson.
I wish my scathing comments were more simple and effective like his.
Steve, you know that the ad agencies always tell one story to clients and the opposite story to public/government.
Like the asses who say violent video games have zero effect on behavior, when, everytime I look out my window almost, I see kids imitating Star Wars, or Harry Potturd, using sticks as laser sabers or magic wands.
Ad Agency: "commericials affect behavior, cause consumers to buy your product"
Ad Agency: "commercials DO NOT affect behavior, DO NOT cause children to sing with their mouths full"
The BS is endless and transparently asinine.
Well, this is a very controversial theme because there are people like me who think commercials have started playing a huge role in determining and influencing human behaviour; kids being extremely gullible are the natural easy targets.
Pragmatically speaking, chidren learn more from what they see around them. They don't learn what is taught to them either in school or at home. They pick up cues from what they observe. Given the number of hours an average child clocks in front of the tv, launched on a favorite sofa, watching a favorite cartoon, indulging his teeth in his favorite chocolate bar, the easiest thing to influence him is the next ad that he is about to see.
But yes, if parents can teach them the right values which help them sift the grain from the chaff, these negative influences can be pushed over the cliff!
Armand Rousso