Advertising Standards Authority
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Amazon told to stop tricking UK users into signing up for Prime
Think Amazon is a little too eager to sign you up for Prime? You're not alone. The UK ad industry's Advertising Standards Authority has ruled that an Amazon promo for Prime was "likely to mislead" and could have tricked users into subscribing to the service. A page in the checkout process pitched a 30-day Prime trial and prominently displayed a gold "order now with Prime" button, complete with a gray box promising "free one-day delivery," but relegated the skip option to a plain, subdued "continue and don't gain Amazon Prime benefits" link. This may have made it look like the only two options were the gold and gray boxes signing you up for Prime, the ASA said.
UK bans gambling ads from sites and games that target kids
The UK will prohibit child-friendly websites and video games from running gambling ads, a move that poses potential ramifications for app developers, soccer stars and social media influencers alike. Starting April 1st, gambling companies will be banned from targeting ads at under-18s on social media and across the web. Bookmakers will also be forced to restrict their ads from sections of sites that are youth-oriented -- for instance, web pages dedicated to younger supporters on a soccer club's website.
'No Man's Sky' is being investigated for false advertising
After No Man's Sky hit shelves in early August, complaints arose around bugs and oversights made by its small studio Hello Games. But as the weeks wore on, a new uproar struck out at the differences between concept videos and the released game, which some players and press believe lacked many features promised in its early promotional material. Now the UK-based Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) is launching an investigation into those disparities.
Smartphone ad banned from UK TV for objectifying women
Kazam is hardly a well-known smartphone brand in the UK, and that's unlikely to change any time soon if its ads are being pulled from TV. After a series of complaints, Britain's Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has banned an ad for the company's Tornado 348 handset, ruling that it objectifies women and is "sexually suggestive." The clip shows a woman moseying around in her underwear, grabbing a pair of jeans and ironing a shirt, only to discover that she'd forgotten to take her smartphone out of the top pocket.
UK watchdog rules that YouTube Oreo ads take the biscuit
Some vloggers have made it big on YouTube, so it's not surprising that advertisers want to tap into their burgeoning audiences. But rather than shell-out for a traditional pre-roll ad, they're paying the stars themselves to film their commercials. That's okay, if YouTubers actually tell viewers that what they're watching is a paid-for promotion, but many aren't. As a result, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has started cracking down on the practice, starting with Mondelez UK -- the company behind Oreo in Britain -- and a marketing campaign that had vloggers participating in a "Lick Race."
The Daily Grind: Is the term free-to-play intentionally misleading?
Earlier this month, Britain's Advertising Standards Authority barred EA from advertising its mobile game Dungeon Keeper as "free-to-play." Why? Because Dungeon Keeper has a countdown timer that blocks progress in the game, a timer that can be bypassed with money. "From the information available in the ad, players would expect the gameplay progression and their ability to advance to be unhindered by unexpected and excessively onerous delays," wrote ASA, "and we therefore considered that the length and frequency of these countdown events was beyond that which would be reasonably expected by players. [...] While we understood that the average consumer would appreciate that free-to-play games were likely to contain monetization functions, we considered that they would also expect the play experience of a game described as 'free' to not be excessively restricted." Welcome, ASA, to the MMO community's endless debate over what constitutes free-to-play! This "free-to-wait" game mechanic is nothing new to us; it pervades mobile titles as well as many MMORTS titles and indie MMOs (Glitch and Villagers and Heroes come to mind). As a gamer, I find the mechanic not so much exploitative as obnoxious, and I'd rather not see it spread. But I spy a slippery slope here. Do you think the ASA is right? Are MMOs with this mechanic (or similar mechanics) misleading consumers? Which F2P games could be legitimately F2P under the ASA's understanding of the term? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
Sega Europe acknowledges Aliens: Colonial Marines trailers didn't reflect final content
Sega Europe will alter its deceptive trailers of Aliens: Colonial Marines in the UK to acknowledge the difference between promotion and final product. GI.biz reports a complaint to the Advertising Standards Authority in the UK by a Reddit user triggered Sega to make amends in order to avoid a formal investigation."Sega Europe acknowledged your objection that the trailers did not accurately reflect the final content of the game," Niall McVeigh, complaints executive at the Advertising Standards Authority wrote. "[Sega] agreed to add a disclaimer, both on their website and in all relevant YouTube videos, which explains that the trailers depict footage of the demo versions of the game. The disclaimer will be visible when each online trailer is played."According to the ASA website, the organization received four complaints. It's widely known now that Sega and developer Gearbox Software misled the press and public with inaccurate demonstrations of Aliens: Colonial Marines for years. The game currently stands as one of the worst reviewed titles of 2013.
Modern Warfare 3 ad too violent for UK soccer time
The UK's Advertising Standards Authority has placed restrictions on an ad for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, reports MCV. The ASA took exception to the copious gunfire, explosions and the depiction of "New York under military assault" – you know, Call of Duty stuff. The ad originally aired in November during an afternoon soccer match and, although Activision followed the advertising guidelines it had been given at the time, the ASA has decided that the commercial "could cause distress to some children who might see the ad." As such, the ad can no longer be show prior to 7:30pm.It's a shame, really. Activision needs all the help it can get spreading the word about Call of Duty.
UK Advertising Standards Authority clears Mass Effect 3
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) of the UK will not act on claims that Electronic Arts misled consumers about Mass Effect 3 when it advertised "decisions you make completely shape your experience and outcome.""The ASA acknowledged the belief that players' choices in the game did not influence the outcome to the extent claimed by EA," the group wrote in a statement obtained by CVG. "However, we considered that the three choices at the end of the game were thematically quite different, and that the availability and effectiveness of those choices would be directly determined by a player's score, which was calculated with reference to previous performance in the game(s)."Whilst we acknowledged that the advertiser had placed particular emphasis on the role that player choices would play in determining the outcome of the game, we considered that most consumers would realize there would be a finite number of possible outcomes within the game and, because we considered that the advertiser had shown that players' previous choices and performance would impact on the ending of the game, we concluded that the ad was not misleading."The charges against EA were brought by consumers unhappy with Mass Effect 3's conclusion. Developer BioWare is currently in the process of creating an "extended cut" ending that will hopefully be more satisfactory.
Apple wins ad standards conflict over Siri in the UK
When the iPhone 4S and Siri first arrived in the UK last October, carrier Vodafone created a website ad that promoted the features of Apple's intelligent assistant. The ad touted (among other things) that Siri "can even use information from your iPhone -- such as your location, contacts and contact relationships -- to provide intelligent, personal assistance." Some Siri location features only work in the U.S. at this time, so a Vodafone customer complained to the UK Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) about the ad. Vodafone passed the ball to Apple, saying that the company had given the offending text to their ad team. The ASA ruled in favor of Apple and Vodafone on Wednesday, saying that the advertisement was not misleading. The ad did not specifically state that Siri had maps-based functionality in the UK, but did show location-based weather reports -- something that Siri can do in the UK. As a result, the ASA felt that the ad was accurate. The ASA also noted that some consumers may have had knowledge of what Siri can do in the U.S., and that they may have "read into the ad that Siri users in the UK would benefit from similar maps-based functionality." The ASA felt that the average UK consumer would not know about that capability, and since the ad didn't "explicitly or implicitly" make such claims, it was not misleading. The moral of the story? Before you file a formal complaint about a tech advertisement being misleading, be sure to check the features for your own country. [via Electronista]
UK's Advertising Standards Authority rules iPhone 4 is thinnest
Apple has gained another victory over Samsung, though this one has nothing to do with patents. The UK's Advertising Standards Authority has ruled that the iPhone 4 is indeed the thinnest smartphone in the country. Apple refers to the iPhone 4 as the "thinnest" smartphone in UK ads. That's something Samsung said was false advertising because their Galaxy S II smartphone is 8.71mm at its thinnest, while Apple's iPhone 4 is 9.3mm at it's thinnest. However the ASA sided with Apple in the dispute, citing that though the Galaxy S II was indeed thinner than the iPhone at certain points of its body, the Galaxy S II has a hump near its base that measures 9.91mm thick. Both Apple and the ASA believe that a phone's thinness can only be judged by the thickest part of the device. "Apple pointed out that the Galaxy S II had prominent bulges at the top of the device," the ASA said in its ruling on Wednesday. "Apple said consumers would not be interested in the thinnest part of the device, but in its overall measurements, as these would, for example, affect whether the device could fit into a pocket or purse."
UK Advertising Authority smacks Motorola for misleading Atrix advert (video)
Oh dear. Remember Motorola's advert claiming the Atrix was the "world's most powerful smartphone?" Well it's now been banned in the UK by the Advertising Standards Authority. Viewers complained about the misleading phrase as the Galaxy S II has a faster 1.2 GHz processor, compared to Atrix's 1GHz. Moto said it meant "powerful" in the sense it could drive various devices -- the ASA didn't agree, since the phrase was read out over the final shot in the advert, where the phone appears in isolation. It ruled that as such, the advert was misleading and can only reappear on UK TV with the contentious phrase removed. Armchair adjudicators can decide for themselves in the video after the break.
UK Advertising Authority takes issue with Atrix's 'world's most powerful smartphone' status
Just about every day we're treated to claims of a device being the "world's first" or "world's biggest" or, indeed, "world's fastest." Typically we file these stories into the "world's least exciting" folder in our inbox, but in the UK, Motorola's advertising wing has really been pushing the "world's most powerful smartphone" angle for the Atrix. Sharp-eyed UK viewers (one of whom was kind enough to write in to us) aren't buying it, however, complaining to the nation's Advertising Standards Authority, the ASA. Citing the Galaxy S II, which has a 1.2GHz processor compared to the Atrix's 1GHz, the ASA has indicated that the complaint will be upheld, as you can see for yourself after the break. Now, it's looking like Motorola will have to come up with a new way to market the thing over there. We'd suggest "smartphone most likely to run Firefox in an overpriced laptop dock," but that doesn't quite have the same ring to it. [Thanks, Anonymous]
PlayStation Move ad banned in UK for condoning 'violent behavior'
The UK's Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has banned an ad for Sony's Move (and, by association, The Fight: Light's Out) after receiving eight complaints. Brand Republic reports that the watchdog agency said the ad was likely to "condone or encourage violent behavior" and wasn't suitable for children's precious, innocent modern eyes. Two of the complaints claimed the ad might condone racially motivated violence because the player is white and the man being tackled is "black." The ASA said the ad featured men of "slightly different skin tones," but wasn't likely to be interpreted as condoning racist violence. The race card may have been difficult to play on this ad (especially when compared to the infamous Dutch white PSP campaign), but the ASA has been concerned about violence in ads for quite some time. Previous kerfuffles had to do with violent imagery in ads for Kane & Lynch and Condemned 2.
UK authority bans Xbox 360 game ad for using PS3 footage (video)
It's a well-known fact that the Xbox 360 version of Final Fantasy XIII can't hold a candle to the one on PS3, and now the UK has formally banned an ad for allegedly pulling the ol' bait-and-switch on British TV screens. The UK's Advertising Standards Authority sat down with both copies of the game and noticed a variety of graphical discrepancies, notably that "video sequences appeared sharper and colours were more vivid" on PS3 than Xbox 360. That's all well and good, but the commercial itself is reportedly being banned on a technicality -- though game developer Square Enix admits the footage used was from PS3, it claims the UK ad consists entirely of pre-rendered cutscenes that look nigh-identical on either game machine. But don't take their word for it -- judge for yourself after the break.
Truth in advertising prevails in UK, Samsung to re-word 'LED TV' ads
Turns out it's not only us HD geeks that were irked by Samsung's ad-speak pitching LED-backlit LCDs as 'LED TVs' -- and in the UK, at least, there's been some corrective action. The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has found that the terminology doesn't comply with marketing regulations and is misleading because unless you've got a set like Jerry Jones', the display isn't made of LEDs. Spot on, ASA! To be sure, Sammy's new sets do have plenty of redeeming qualities, but whatever marketing genius came up with the 'LED TV' phrase is going to have to go back to the drawing board. Now, if only we could get some of this reasoning applied to US marketing and/or rein in wacky contrast ratio figures, we'd really be onto something. [Via HDTV Almanac]
Apple wins fight in U.K. over iPhone v Android claims
The U.K. advertising watchdog, the Advertising Standards Authority, says Apple is correct when it claims its App Store is better than the Google store for the Android. In a TV ad Apple claimed that the iPhone had apps for "just about anything". Fans of the Google Android, or at least ten of them, complained that their phone offered a similar and equal function. Apple responded that it made the claim "only on the iPhone" because its App Store "provided users with a unique experience unmatched by any other application marketplace, including the Android Market". "Because Apple had shown there were far more applications available for the iPhone than the G1 phone, and user experience of the iPhone and the App Store was distinct from its competitor, we concluded that the claim 'only on the iPhone' was justified and not misleading," said the ASA in its ruling. The Apple App Store has about 50,000 applications, while Google offers about 2,100. In the past, Apple hasn't done too well with the ASA. In November an iPhone ad was banned for misleading customers about the speed of the phone on the internet. Apple also had to pull ads for its first generation iPhone in August of 2008.
Who knew: Publishers don't like being called child killers [update]
Update: Sony is considering action against the ad agency for the unauthorized use of what looks like a PlayStation controller. In addition, Codemasters and Konami have both expressed their disagreement. Konami mentioned its Dance Dance Revolution series, which requires standing and moving, and Codemasters' CEO Rod Cousens said, "Governments have a unique ability to get it wrong."Game publishers have begun speaking out against the "Change4Life" ad campaign, which draws a direct link between video games and early death. For whatever reason, Sega and Atari do not wish for their multimillion-dollar businesses to be associated with the death of children.Sega Europe president and COO Mike Hayes told MCV that the company is "very disappointed" with the ad. "It remains a deep frustration that video gaming is selected to present a negative image of the UK's children, youth, consumer at large and the industry." He said that a "poorly informed advertising agency" must be responsible for an ad that singles out gaming instead of more passive media like television, music, and reading. Atari has also spoken out against the ad, announcing its support for MCV's complaint, and saying that "At best, the campaign is misleading and at worst, damaging to the industry, its reputation and its potential." In addition, the developer organization TIGA also registered its displeasure with the ad, filing a formal complaint with the Advertising Standards Authority.The Department of Health issued a statement in defense of "Change4Life," saying that it is "not saying that children shouldn't play computer games or eat treats, but parents and children need to be aware of the benefits of a balanced diet and an active lifestyle."Source -- SegaSource -- AtariSource -- TIGASource -- UK government responds
UK 'Change4Life' ad campaign attacks gamers
MCV reported this morning that an ad campaign titled "Change4Life," currently running in the United Kingdom, is targeting the region's gaming populace with some fairly suggestive remarks. Drawing a correlation between childhood game playing and "an early death," the British Heart Foundation, Diabetes UK and Cancer Research seem to have made an enemy in MCV, attracting an official complaint filed with the Advertising Standards Authority. MCV's Tim Ingham puts his site's opinion into perspective in a response post to the ad campaign, saying, "Change4Life's advertising campaign makes a mockery of everything the industry has achieved in the last decade. And it's bang out of order." We're inclined to agree with him based on what we've seen so far. For shame!
Microsoft Xbox video marketplace ad banned for being misleading
Apple isn't the only one to run afoul of the UK's Advertising Standards Authority, now that one of Microsoft's recent ads (embedded after the break) promoting its video rental service has been banned. Challenged because it fails to mention the viewing window (24 hours after pressing play / 14 days after download,) the board agreed, saying users may be influenced to purchase on the basis of being able to download and keep movies, which currently they can't. Microsoft argued that the ad was too short to get into the details of its DRM requirements, but maybe next time they'll hire one of the fast talking individuals from oh-so-many pharmaceutical ads for the last second disclaimer.[Via Joystiq Xbox & CVG]
