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The ITC have banned the Microsoft 'Life Is Short' Xbox ad, after receiving over 100 complaints from the general public.
The ad featured a newborn baby propelled through a delivery room window at birth, flying over rooftops and fields while slowly ageing, reaching adolescence and adulthood in a matter of seconds, before finally slamming into a grave as an old man. The 20 second ad was banned by the Independent Television Commission (ITC) after receiving 136 complaints from viewers, who described the ad as "offensive, shocking and in bad taste." Microsoft, on the other hand, defended the ad, saying it was "a positive statement about life," and for once, we agree with them.
In a statement, the ITC said that the scream the person emitted while flying through the air "suggested a traumatic experience which, together with the reminder that life is short, made the final scene more shocking," which is surely the point. "Advertisments cannot be avoided by those who are grieving in the way that programmes whose content is flagged in advance can. In that context it's considered that the final scene of a body smashing into its grave was unnecessary and had caused considerable distress to many viewers." So, the best TV games ad ever is banned, because a few Daily Mail readers get a bit uppity. In fact, the Daily Mail ran a double-page spread on the Xbox advertisement and similar ads, with the heading 'How can they justify these sick ads?'.
While it's a shame that the ad has been banned from TV (although it will still appear in cinemas and Microsoft's own marketing plans), it has to be said that games adverts have got steadily more and more bizarre. Take Sony's Third Place oddity, for example. Did that really make you want to buy a PS2, or just strangle David Lynch? While the Life Is Short ad was impressive, it contained no game footage, no pictures of the console - not even a mention of what the Xbox was. Perhaps this move by the ITC is a blessing in disguise, and more companies will start realising that fancy, 'clever' ads are all well and good, but what we really want is some cool game footage, stuff that makes us want to buy the game. Not a duck and a mummy.
Would you agree? Are games ads so far up their own backsides they're doing more harm than good?
The ad featured a newborn baby propelled through a delivery room window at birth, flying over rooftops and fields while slowly ageing, reaching adolescence and adulthood in a matter of seconds, before finally slamming into a grave as an old man. The 20 second ad was banned by the Independent Television Commission (ITC) after receiving 136 complaints from viewers, who described the ad as "offensive, shocking and in bad taste." Microsoft, on the other hand, defended the ad, saying it was "a positive statement about life," and for once, we agree with them.
In a statement, the ITC said that the scream the person emitted while flying through the air "suggested a traumatic experience which, together with the reminder that life is short, made the final scene more shocking," which is surely the point. "Advertisments cannot be avoided by those who are grieving in the way that programmes whose content is flagged in advance can. In that context it's considered that the final scene of a body smashing into its grave was unnecessary and had caused considerable distress to many viewers." So, the best TV games ad ever is banned, because a few Daily Mail readers get a bit uppity. In fact, the Daily Mail ran a double-page spread on the Xbox advertisement and similar ads, with the heading 'How can they justify these sick ads?'.
While it's a shame that the ad has been banned from TV (although it will still appear in cinemas and Microsoft's own marketing plans), it has to be said that games adverts have got steadily more and more bizarre. Take Sony's Third Place oddity, for example. Did that really make you want to buy a PS2, or just strangle David Lynch? While the Life Is Short ad was impressive, it contained no game footage, no pictures of the console - not even a mention of what the Xbox was. Perhaps this move by the ITC is a blessing in disguise, and more companies will start realising that fancy, 'clever' ads are all well and good, but what we really want is some cool game footage, stuff that makes us want to buy the game. Not a duck and a mummy.
Would you agree? Are games ads so far up their own backsides they're doing more harm than good?
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The ITC have banned the Microsoft 'Life Is Short' Xbox ad, after receiving over 100 complaints from the general public.
The ad featured a newborn baby propelled through a delivery room window at birth, flying over rooftops and fields while slowly ageing, reaching adolescence and adulthood in a matter of seconds, before finally slamming into a grave as an old man. The 20 second ad was banned by the Independent Television Commission (ITC) after receiving 136 complaints from viewers, who described the ad as "offensive, shocking and in bad taste." Microsoft, on the other hand, defended the ad, saying it was "a positive statement about life," and for once, we agree with them.
In a statement, the ITC said that the scream the person emitted while flying through the air "suggested a traumatic experience which, together with the reminder that life is short, made the final scene more shocking," which is surely the point. "Advertisments cannot be avoided by those who are grieving in the way that programmes whose content is flagged in advance can. In that context it's considered that the final scene of a body smashing into its grave was unnecessary and had caused considerable distress to many viewers." So, the best TV games ad ever is banned, because a few Daily Mail readers get a bit uppity. In fact, the Daily Mail ran a double-page spread on the Xbox advertisement and similar ads, with the heading 'How can they justify these sick ads?'.
While it's a shame that the ad has been banned from TV (although it will still appear in cinemas and Microsoft's own marketing plans), it has to be said that games adverts have got steadily more and more bizarre. Take Sony's Third Place oddity, for example. Did that really make you want to buy a PS2, or just strangle David Lynch? While the Life Is Short ad was impressive, it contained no game footage, no pictures of the console - not even a mention of what the Xbox was. Perhaps this move by the ITC is a blessing in disguise, and more companies will start realising that fancy, 'clever' ads are all well and good, but what we really want is some cool game footage, stuff that makes us want to buy the game. Not a duck and a mummy.
Would you agree? Are games ads so far up their own backsides they're doing more harm than good?
The ad featured a newborn baby propelled through a delivery room window at birth, flying over rooftops and fields while slowly ageing, reaching adolescence and adulthood in a matter of seconds, before finally slamming into a grave as an old man. The 20 second ad was banned by the Independent Television Commission (ITC) after receiving 136 complaints from viewers, who described the ad as "offensive, shocking and in bad taste." Microsoft, on the other hand, defended the ad, saying it was "a positive statement about life," and for once, we agree with them.
In a statement, the ITC said that the scream the person emitted while flying through the air "suggested a traumatic experience which, together with the reminder that life is short, made the final scene more shocking," which is surely the point. "Advertisments cannot be avoided by those who are grieving in the way that programmes whose content is flagged in advance can. In that context it's considered that the final scene of a body smashing into its grave was unnecessary and had caused considerable distress to many viewers." So, the best TV games ad ever is banned, because a few Daily Mail readers get a bit uppity. In fact, the Daily Mail ran a double-page spread on the Xbox advertisement and similar ads, with the heading 'How can they justify these sick ads?'.
While it's a shame that the ad has been banned from TV (although it will still appear in cinemas and Microsoft's own marketing plans), it has to be said that games adverts have got steadily more and more bizarre. Take Sony's Third Place oddity, for example. Did that really make you want to buy a PS2, or just strangle David Lynch? While the Life Is Short ad was impressive, it contained no game footage, no pictures of the console - not even a mention of what the Xbox was. Perhaps this move by the ITC is a blessing in disguise, and more companies will start realising that fancy, 'clever' ads are all well and good, but what we really want is some cool game footage, stuff that makes us want to buy the game. Not a duck and a mummy.
Would you agree? Are games ads so far up their own backsides they're doing more harm than good?
Bring back more shower gel adverts with t!ts in them I say.
Its a pretty sad fact that there are people all over the country who have nothing better to do than make such stupid complaints! As you pointed out, the message of the advert is basically that 'life is short and we should make the most of it while we can'. If thats not good advice, i don't know what is.
Also, i bet that most of the people who wrote in with those complaints are OAPs who'll be flying into their own graves soon! :)
Also, i bet that most of the people who wrote in with those complaints are OAPs who'll be flying into their own graves soon! :)
Craw wrote:
> Bring back more shower gel adverts with t!ts in them I say.
What can I say? The man talks sense...
> Bring back more shower gel adverts with t!ts in them I say.
What can I say? The man talks sense...
Couldn't care less whether the ad was banned or not, I thought it was stupid in the first place. Why don't microsoft try showing their games anyway instead of getting a poncy director to make a ad which makes no sense? This surreal tosh is beggining to ware thin now.
I think the simple fact that someone complains about something on television should disqualify them from being taken seriously about anything.
"So Your Honour, I would like to ask why the defendant didn't simply turn over or ignore what he saw?"
"Because M'Lud, the defendant is borderline simian and unable to form decisions for himself"
"Fair enough. We should also ban that person from driving and having children. There is not enough air or food for stupid people"
"So Your Honour, I would like to ask why the defendant didn't simply turn over or ignore what he saw?"
"Because M'Lud, the defendant is borderline simian and unable to form decisions for himself"
"Fair enough. We should also ban that person from driving and having children. There is not enough air or food for stupid people"
There's more comments in the Sony forum...
http://ukchatforums.reserve.co.uk/display_messages. php?threadid=45464&forumid=135
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http://ukchatforums.reserve.co.uk/display_messages. php?threadid=45464&forumid=135
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What?!?! What kind of people complain about quite a good advert? This disturbs me.
ONly £23.55 need to get an xbox with halo!!
ONly £23.55 need to get an xbox with halo!!
Give that man a GAD!
:-)
Seriously though, if you go around reading meaning into everything you see and hear, then I have no sympathy for you. Obviously I don't mean to say the people who are terminally ill and complained about the "Life is short" slogan deserve it, but, I find it odd how they can take offence at something that is SO obviously not meant to be offensive, especially not to them or anyone else.
When people wake up and realise the whole world doesn't revolve around and relate to them, then maybe we can let adverts like this back, until them though putting them on is just going to cause conflict and strife.
:-)
Seriously though, if you go around reading meaning into everything you see and hear, then I have no sympathy for you. Obviously I don't mean to say the people who are terminally ill and complained about the "Life is short" slogan deserve it, but, I find it odd how they can take offence at something that is SO obviously not meant to be offensive, especially not to them or anyone else.
When people wake up and realise the whole world doesn't revolve around and relate to them, then maybe we can let adverts like this back, until them though putting them on is just going to cause conflict and strife.
RastaBillySkank wrote:
just going to cause conflict and
> strife... which is a pity really as it was actually quite a good and (IMO) funny advert.
just going to cause conflict and
> strife... which is a pity really as it was actually quite a good and (IMO) funny advert.
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