Keeping a check on violence in ads for Horror films
13 September 2007
Horror as an artistic genre is ages old yet the depiction of violence is the stuff of debate: does it influence behaviour or is it cathartic; does it reflect society or merely enact society’s fears? The same arguments play out for computer games. Although the merits or faults of horror films and computer games are not for ASA or CAP to resolve, advertisements for them must meet the rules laid down in the CAP and BCAP Codes, which require that ads do not cause harm, fear or distress.
Of special concern to society is the effect of ads on children; that has been backed up by ASA research and is reflected in the Codes.
Because of society’s attitude to horror and violence and its desire to protect children, advertisers, agencies and media owners should bear in mind the need to avoid causing harm, fear or distress when creating, placing or running ads for horror films or computer games. A look at the rules and past ASA adjudications will help those responsible for such ads to avoid crossing the line of acceptability. Although their wording is different across media, the Codes are comparable and allow for consistent decision making. ASA adjudications under the TV, radio and non-broadcast codes highlight the need for advertisers to ensure that the content of the ad is suitable for the audience and that ads are carefully targeted through methods such as timing restrictions or demographic profiling.
Ads on TV
These rules on the content of ads in the BCAP TV Advertising Standards Code and Rules on the Scheduling of TV Advertisements are especially relevant:
6.1 Offence
Advertisements must not cause serious or widespread offence against generally accepted moral, social or cultural standards, or offend against public feeling
6.2 Violence and cruelty
(a) Advertisements must not encourage or condone violence or cruelty
(b) Gratuitous and realistic portrayals of cruel or irresponsible treatment of people or animals are not acceptable
6.4 Personal distress
Advertisements must not, without good reason, contain material which is likely to cause serious distress to significant numbers of viewers
7.4.1 Mental harm
Advertisements must not contain material which could lead to social, moral or psychological harm to children
The scheduling rules state that trailers for films or videos carrying an 18 or 15 certificate may not be advertised in or adjacent to children’s programmes or programmes commissioned for, principally directed at or likely to appeal particularly to audiences below the age of 18. Depending on content, especially the extent and nature of any portrayal of violence or sexual activity, an alternative timing restriction such as after 7.30pm, 9.00pm or even later might often be best for material in category (d) (v), especially if it is 18-rated. Read the scheduling restrictions in full.
Getting the timing right
In an adjudication on complaints about a TV ad for the film Hannibal Rising, two lessons of note emerged: the ASA expects young children to be watching TV up to 9.00pm and an ad can be menacing and cause fear to a degree that is unacceptable even without showing much violence. The scenes in the ad included an axe; a child screaming; a leering man's face splashed with blood; a blood-filled syringe; a man being dragged across the floor; an explosion; a scythe on someone's throat; a man being stabbed in the neck; a man being tied to a tree and the character Hannibal Lecter in a mask.
The ASA acknowledged that the advertiser and the BACC had edited the more violent scenes from the version of the ad shown after 9.00pm to make it suitable for broadcast after 7.30pm. Although it noted little violence was shown in the ad, the ASA considered that the cumulative effect of the brief and fast-changing film clips was still one of menace and fear. The ASA concluded that the strong sense of threat portrayed in the ad was unsuitable for an ad shown before 9.00pm, when young children were likely to be watching TV.
Read the adjudication
Ads on radio
The lack of visual imagery in radio does not stop its four aural features of voice, music, special effects and silence combining to ignite the listener’s imagination and heighten emotional responses. It is not surprising that distributors of horror films, therefore, make use of radio to create a sense of suspense and excitement for their product. The ads, though, must meet these rules in the BCAP Radio Advertising Standards Code:
9 Good Taste, Decency and Offence to Public Feeling
The handling of films, plays, music tracks or websites with salacious, violent or sexual themes and/or titles requires careful consideration. Audio clips should portray the product is true nature but clips containing bad language, sexual innuendo and/or gratuitous violence should normally be avoided;
10 Harm
Advertising must not harm listeners nor exploit, either personally or financially, their vulnerability. No advertising is acceptable from those who practise or advocate illegal or harmful, or potentially harmful behaviour.
11 Children and Younger Listeners
Advertisements likely to be heard by a significant number of children (for the purpose of this Rule, those aged below 16 years) must not include any material which might result in harm to them, whether physically, mentally or morally. Each station’s audience research information should be used to determine whether significant numbers of children are listening at any particular time.
Radio ads unfit for the school run
In an adjucication on complaints about two radio ads for the film Saw 3, the ASA considered that the menacing tone of the ad was unacceptable when children could hear it even though the violent content of the film being advertised was not explicitly represented.
The ads featured the sound effect of a chainsaw and a woman screaming and pleading. The first ad stated "Do you wanna play a game? In the beginning his games got inside your head. Second time around his evil got under your skin. Now his deadliest puzzle ever ... 'Suffering; you haven't seen anything yet' ... will tear your senses apart piece by piece. Let the games begin". The second ad stated "My mind has never been so determined, my subjects more terrified, my rules so deadly, until now. Prepare yourself for three times the game, three times the pain. Let the games begin. Suffering, you haven't seen anything yet”.
The RACC said it had chosen not to offer specific scheduling advice when it cleared the ads, because it thought the content was not especially graphic. The RACC explained that, although adult listeners might have been aware of the film’s subject matter, the ads did not specifically refer to the film’s content and were not explicit. The RACC therefore believed children were unlikely to be harmed or distressed by them.
The ASA nevertheless upheld the complaints. It considered that the ads reflected the content of the film and were unlikely to offend or distress adult listeners but younger listeners were likely to find the ads distressing because of the menacing tone of voice and the sound effects of the woman screaming. The ASA concluded that the ads were likely to harm children and should not have been broadcast when children were likely to be listening.
Read the adjudication
Ads in other media
The CAP Code applies to ads in all other media including posters, press, cinema and online. These rules for non-broadcast ads should be carefully considered by advetisers of Horror films and computer games:
Decency (i.e. avoiding serious or widespread offence)
5.1 Marketing communications should contain nothing that is likely to cause serious or widespread offence. Particular care should be taken to avoid causing offence on the grounds of race, religion, sex, sexual orientation or disability. Compliance with the Code will be judged on the context, medium, audience, product and prevailing standards of decency.
5.2 Marketing communications may be distasteful without necessarily conflicting with 5.1 above. Marketers are urged to consider public sensitivities before using potentially offensive material.
5.3 The fact that a particular product is offensive to some people is not sufficient grounds for objecting to a marketing communication for it.
Fear and distress
9.1 No marketing communication should cause fear or distress without good reason. Marketers should not use shocking claims or images merely to attract attention.
Children
47.2 Marketing communications addressed to, targeted at or featuring children should contain nothing that is likely to result in their physical, mental or moral harm.
Online targeting gets the right result
The ASA received complaints about an internet banner ad, for a horror film, that appeared to customers who were logged-in to Yahoo mail. The ad showed three images that flashed-up in quick succession: a pair of eyes, a screaming, distorted face and a head-and-shoulder shot of a hanged man with a noose around his neck. The complainants, two of whom had known people who had hanged themselves, objected that the ad was offensive and distressing and should not appear on an e-mail homepage where it was likely to be seen by children.
In responding to the complaints, the advertiser explained that the ad appeared on the Yahoo sign-out page that would have been seen only by people 16 to 25 years of age and no children would therefore have seen the ad unless they had signed into an adult’s e-mail account. The ASA accepted the ad was unlikely to be seen by children and considered that, although they were distasteful and startling, the images reflected the nature of the advertised film. It concluded that the ad was unlikely to cause serious or widespread offence, undue fear or distress and was not irresponsible or harmful to children.
Read the adjudication
In contrast to that targeted approach, a computer game advertiser that used outdoor media fell foul of the rules for one execution. The poster showed a man covered in blood and with a terrified look on his face; he was standing behind bars and his bloody hand reached through them towards the viewer. The ASA concluded that the ad was unsuitable for display where it could be seen by children and was likely to cause serious or widespread offence. Another execution in the campaign was allowed.
Read the adjudication
Getting help with your campaigns
If the core purpose of the product being advertised is to shock and disturb, getting the advertising on the right side of the line of acceptability can be a tough judgement call. The best way to ensure your ads don’t lead to the nightmare of an “upheld” adjudication is to get your creative and media ideas checked early on in your campaign planning by CAP Copy Advice, the BACC or the RACC.