ASA reckons anti-terrorist ads are terrorising population with fear

The ASA have banned the ad for the Anti-Terrorist Hotline on the ground it is seriously offensive and makes an undue appeal to fear - thems my cliff notes kids, you can read the full verdict under the link. Radio adverts that make "He likes to keep himself to himself" seem like insta-terrorists are indeed very creepy, and this particular example crossed a line - probably because most UK men who like to keep to themselves recognized their own behavior. I'm a bit miffed there's no hotline for me to call regarding the man at the end of the street here, who has parties at all hours, pays by credit card because he never has any money and in is in perpetual debt, never draws the blind because he hopes to flaunt his wiggly bits to teenage girls who pass by on the local bus route.

You can listen to the banned ad, and another one from the campaign here.

The counter-terrorism campaign has been mocked before, flickr pool, for being a bit over the top - but never banned by the ASA. The messages in last years poster campaign were changed to ask "committed shoppers to fill their bins" and mock the campaigns notion of "normal". My personal favorite is this one below.