ASA accuses DH of arrogance
Wednesday, April 1, 2009 
Six weeks ago I commented on the government's latest anti-smoking campaign and asked "What does this image have to do with smoking?".
Today, our political information service De Havilland reports that the Advertising Standards Authority has upheld complaints about anti smoking advertisements commissioned by the Department of Health.
The ASA has ruled they can no longer be shown before 7.30pm "as they could frighten young children because they prey on fears that their parents might die". Christopher Graham, director general of the ASA, told the Today programme this morning:
“I think they’re very powerful ads but it’s not the children’s fault that their parents smoke … and there was evidence … from complainers to us who were non smokers that their young children were very frightened … by the prospect that mummy might die. So what we’ve said is, powerful ads, fine, but after 7.30 you’re more likely to be watching this in the company of older children or with parents. You shouldn’t be just broadcasting these things in daytime television. We have a responsibility to protect consumers from harm and in particular young children.”
He added:
"I think … to have the greatest impact the idea was that parents would be watching with their children but I think that’s exploitive. I think it’s quite arrogant of the Department of Health to say … the end justifies the means; we’re going to get parents at the point of maximum impact with their children. These ads before 7.30 are likely to be seen by children unaccompanied and they’re very frightening.”
“The Advertising Code is very clear. You mustn’t produce ads that cause harm to children so it’s not a numbers’ game, and very often we’ve had many more complaints about these Health Department’s smoking campaigns and we haven’t upheld because we thought that they were responsible.”
Note: this is the second time in a year that the ASA has upheld a complaint against the DH over its anti-smoking advertisements. See HERE.
Reader Comments (8)
I thought it was illegal to take images of children in swimming pools now.
Obviously the anti smoking lobby get off on that.sort of thing.
It's worse than that, Mcgraw, it's an image of a boy in a shower!
BTW if those who had complained had been smokers rather than non-smokers, would the ASA have decided that the ads were simply effective rather than harmful?
Here is the adjudication in full;
http://www.asa.org.uk/asa/adjudications/Public/TF_ADJ_46024.htm
Children will still be scared after 7.30pm. The advert tells us this. If children see the ad with their parents, it will cause many arguments between children and parents. We MUST all complain to the ASA again.
It's not only the children in the advert, but the absolute lies about 2000 deaths per week from smoking related disease. All natural 'old-age' diseases are now labelled 'smoking related', and the greater percentage of smokers live above the average age, so what exactly are they saying.....If a smoker dies it is smoking related, and premature at any age. God help reason. It's very simple, but the public buy this lie without thinking it through.
Time we all complained to the ASA about this part of the advert too.
I remember as a child being terrified of anything bad happening to my parents. I frequently had nightmares about them dying and I wasn't even subjected to these horrible misleading adverts! To a child, the worst thing in the world would be the death of a parent and these ads deliberately target that fear. This is unforgivably cruel and the decision by the ASA is far too lenient. The anti-smoking trash are constantly overstepping the mark, but what galls me most is that we're paying for it.
Yes Zitori. Another angle on that is that a smoking related illness is any illness if you are a smoker. The message to the kid is, if a person smokes they will die, so if your parent smokes, be afraid, be very afaraid.
Very well put, DWG. Yes, they are trash. Parasitic crusading trash roaming the land with a sense of entitlement to our money and our continuing obedience.