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A computer games company has been reprimanded for sending bogus mobile phone text messages.
The message read: "Please report to your local army recruitment centre immediately for your 2nd tour of duty."
It added: "Commandos 2 on PC. It's more than real life - out today from Eidos."
The messages were part of publicity for the launch of a Second World War game produced by Eidos Interactive.
A former member of the British Army objected to the message, arguing it could cause "undue fear and distress" and complained to the Advertising Standards Authority.
The ASA upheld the criticism and Eidos apologised and agreed to not to send any more of the messages.
In its adjudication, the ASA said: "The authority considered that at first glance the text message could distress recipients and welcomed the advertisers' assurance that they would not repeat it."
Text messaging has become the latest tool used by advertisers to market products, particularly those aimed at the younger consumers.
(c) Copyright Ananova Ltd 2001, all rights reserved.
The message read: "Please report to your local army recruitment centre immediately for your 2nd tour of duty."
It added: "Commandos 2 on PC. It's more than real life - out today from Eidos."
The messages were part of publicity for the launch of a Second World War game produced by Eidos Interactive.
A former member of the British Army objected to the message, arguing it could cause "undue fear and distress" and complained to the Advertising Standards Authority.
The ASA upheld the criticism and Eidos apologised and agreed to not to send any more of the messages.
In its adjudication, the ASA said: "The authority considered that at first glance the text message could distress recipients and welcomed the advertisers' assurance that they would not repeat it."
Text messaging has become the latest tool used by advertisers to market products, particularly those aimed at the younger consumers.
(c) Copyright Ananova Ltd 2001, all rights reserved.
Page:
> The message read: "Please report to your local army
> recruitment centre immediately for your 2nd tour of duty."
a) Anyone with a small amount of intelligence would have though, "2nd tour of duty? I never had a 1st!"
> It added:
> "Commandos 2 on PC. It's more than real life - out today from
> Eidos."
b) It was clearly an advert, if people bothered to read it fully and properly.
> A former member of the British Army objected to the
> message, arguing it could cause "undue fear and
> distress"
c) How exactly? My initial reaction would be curiosity, leading to my reading the whole message, as in (b).
> In its adjudication, the ASA said: "The authority
> considered that at first glance the text message could distress recipients
d) This is the problem these days - the average person in the street is seen as an idiot who doesn't have the common sense to distinguish between reality and fantasy.
Sadly, that seems to be true far more frequently than I'd like.
This is a similar situation to that which followed Sony's advertising campaign for F1 2001, when the mailshot appeared to be from an Italian lad asking for pen-pals.
If you treat someone like an idiot for long enough, they become an idiot. Maybe we should start treating people as smart individuals for a few years, and see if it works that way round too?
> recruitment centre immediately for your 2nd tour of duty."
a) Anyone with a small amount of intelligence would have though, "2nd tour of duty? I never had a 1st!"
> It added:
> "Commandos 2 on PC. It's more than real life - out today from
> Eidos."
b) It was clearly an advert, if people bothered to read it fully and properly.
> A former member of the British Army objected to the
> message, arguing it could cause "undue fear and
> distress"
c) How exactly? My initial reaction would be curiosity, leading to my reading the whole message, as in (b).
> In its adjudication, the ASA said: "The authority
> considered that at first glance the text message could distress recipients
d) This is the problem these days - the average person in the street is seen as an idiot who doesn't have the common sense to distinguish between reality and fantasy.
Sadly, that seems to be true far more frequently than I'd like.
This is a similar situation to that which followed Sony's advertising campaign for F1 2001, when the mailshot appeared to be from an Italian lad asking for pen-pals.
If you treat someone like an idiot for long enough, they become an idiot. Maybe we should start treating people as smart individuals for a few years, and see if it works that way round too?
No problem, just wondering why Web Monkey hadn't reported it.
Anyone dumb enough to actually show up at a recruitment centre after a text message probably belongs in the army anyway.
Where's the problem?
Where's the problem?
A computer games company has been reprimanded for sending bogus mobile phone text messages.
The message read: "Please report to your local army recruitment centre immediately for your 2nd tour of duty."
It added: "Commandos 2 on PC. It's more than real life - out today from Eidos."
The messages were part of publicity for the launch of a Second World War game produced by Eidos Interactive.
A former member of the British Army objected to the message, arguing it could cause "undue fear and distress" and complained to the Advertising Standards Authority.
The ASA upheld the criticism and Eidos apologised and agreed to not to send any more of the messages.
In its adjudication, the ASA said: "The authority considered that at first glance the text message could distress recipients and welcomed the advertisers' assurance that they would not repeat it."
Text messaging has become the latest tool used by advertisers to market products, particularly those aimed at the younger consumers.
(c) Copyright Ananova Ltd 2001, all rights reserved.
The message read: "Please report to your local army recruitment centre immediately for your 2nd tour of duty."
It added: "Commandos 2 on PC. It's more than real life - out today from Eidos."
The messages were part of publicity for the launch of a Second World War game produced by Eidos Interactive.
A former member of the British Army objected to the message, arguing it could cause "undue fear and distress" and complained to the Advertising Standards Authority.
The ASA upheld the criticism and Eidos apologised and agreed to not to send any more of the messages.
In its adjudication, the ASA said: "The authority considered that at first glance the text message could distress recipients and welcomed the advertisers' assurance that they would not repeat it."
Text messaging has become the latest tool used by advertisers to market products, particularly those aimed at the younger consumers.
(c) Copyright Ananova Ltd 2001, all rights reserved.
Page: