Radio ads removed.
- The Advertising Regulation Board’s directorate found the armed robbery simulation to be unduly frightening.
- A man can be heard shouting “On your knees! On your knees!” in a radio commercial that aired on Eastwave Radio 92.2 FM.
- The complaint, whose wife was the victim of the robbery, believes that it was a life scenario that brought back painful memories.
The Council’s Directorate of Advertising Regulation has ordered Incredible Door to remove its radio ad after a complainant claimed it simulated an armed robbery that caused fear.
According to management, the commercial, which aired on Eastwave Radio 92.2 FM, began with a man shouting in what sounded like an American accent: “Get on your knees! Get on your knees! Slow and slow. .
Later, the directorate reported, a voice was heard behind the scenes warning listeners that robberies of homes and businesses had become a reality and were happening everywhere.
In a voice-over – showing the need for high-quality security doors, aluminum doors and windows manufactured and installed by Incredible Door – the ad ends with the words “Incredible Doors – your safety is our priority”.
Responding to ad, ad, the ad that the commercial shows an armed armed robbery or burglary in the commercial that “get down on your knees, slow and easy”.
He added:
This is a very similar to real life scenario and you can imagine what it does to them for those people who have been subjected to this act in real life.
Mulla said the ad brought back “painful memories” as his wife was the victim of an armed robbery and was ordered to her knees.
In his opinion, he added, the ad has nothing to do with the product being sold at Incredible Door.
His attempts to contact the radio station and the advertiser were unsuccessful, as they did not respond.
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However, after the issue was brought up to management, Incredible Door responded.
It stated that he did not intend to harm the audience or listeners, but wanted to express real crime and dangerous situations in the communities.
The main purpose of the wording “Get on your knees” is to emphasize to potential customers that it may be too late if preventive measures are not taken, while the rest of the ad continues to describe the product and its durability. The purpose of these words is to make all citizens aware of the reality of the lack of security measures and not to cause fear.
Despite Incredible Door’s arguments about the reasons behind the commercial, the directorate found it to be “unacceptable fear-mongering” under Section II clause 3.1, which states that an advertisement must not play on fear without good reason.
While the board disagreed with Moolla that the sound clip used in the ad had no direct connection to the product being sold, it argued that the logical connection between the two did not mean that fear could be used as a marketing tool.
In response to a loud voice demanding the listener to “get on your knees”, the board felt that anyone who had experienced a similar scenario or was particularly frightened by such a scenario would find the ad “extremely disturbing”.
“This is emphasized by the pitch of the music. It is not necessary to create this level of fear to communicate the importance of a product or its use.
“Exactly the same amount of information could be conveyed if the clip began with the words ‘robbery of homes and businesses,'” the office noted.
As such, it found that the commercial had caused an unreasonable level of fear and was in breach of Section II 3.1 of the Code and ordered Incredible Door to remove it immediately.
