I complained against Domestos ad

[snakemed]

Hey everyone, I wonder if you can help. Here in the UK, has anyone seen a horrible ad for Domestos recently? It is like the ones they had last year, with the disgusting talking germs, except this one is singing "I'm gonna make the people v**, people v**, people v**, I'm going to make the people v** and give them d*" Horrendous!!!!


I complained to the Advertising Standards Authority explaining why I personally found it distressing and also how it is unpleasant and unnessessary. They sent me a letter saying that they had checked it and it wasn't breaching their code of conduct blah, blah, blah . . . At the moment it is still being shown but if they recieved more complaints (this is where you guys come in!) maybe they could stop this stupid TV advert. It p'ed me off because it's like Alvin said, they r playing on our fears, and because we are all so conscious of germs Domestos want us to run out to the shops and buy their bleach!! (where's my coat? lol)


You can get in touch via the website at www.asa.org.uk


Thankyou!!!

[abbey_16]

i also complained... to them aswell and they said the same to me , now i personally will never use their product again i shall stick to dettol ...disgusting advert and they reli dont care!! xx

[jodi054]

i dont particually like the advert myself .. but i do sometimes think advets like these are nessacery .. like the one with fp that is out ..it's a case of making other ppl aware of nasty germs so they way i see it is ..if they make more ppl aware then hygeine will be improved which will mean less catching of bugs

[hippychick]

Sorry but I don't find it distressing and I don't think it's a bad thing. People are not clean enough and it's why they get sick. My emet is mine, and it is my problem. If I find V* in a film/tv show or advert distressing it is my problem. And of course advertising people big up thjeir product. What about all the loan ads that make it seem so easy and don't tell you how much extra you'll end up paying to them. It sucks lol But the V* reference doesn't bother me.

[violet]

I hate hate hate that advert, but I do personally think that advertisting it in that manner helps people who arent clean enough to realise how it should be, but mind you its grose, but either way, there compliants department will have some work now huh lol

[x hannah x]

Yeah I really think some of us are overreacting about this, adverts are supposed to make people buy their product. This was an effective way of drawing attention to a real problem and influencing people to do something about it. Hearing a little animated germ singing the word V* at us is not going to hurt anyone and it might do us all some good to chill out and have a laugh about this instead of taking it all so seriously.

[junglemonkey]

I'm with hippychick. Most people are bothered by v*ing references and they shouldn't be, a lot of people find it funny lol.


Phobias have a huge, huge range of feared subjects. You can be phobic of anything, and if everyone got their way, there would be no TV!


The thing is with cleanliness, it's not even scaremongering, if you don't clean, it WILL make you sick. I haven't personally seen the ad, and it sounds as though it's not the most tastefully done cleaning products ad, but it is kinda fact... Just the way they've presented it happens to be a little graphic. To be fair though, it's not as though they're graphically showing v*ing or talking about it and simply mentioning the word isn't quite enough IMO to warrant it to be banned. I know that it is unpleasant for you, of course it is, but they won't see it from your perspective.


Anywho, I know this came off really bitchy I know but I didn't mean it like that. I can see where you're coming from, but at the same time I can see where they are coming from. [img]smileys/smilies_01.gif[/img]

[sage]

I'm not bothered by such ads...cuz I used to work in marketing,a nd this is just plain good marketing. People will freak out, and buy their product -...brilliant! Kudos to them.


On the OTHER hand, like all advertising, it's bull-sh**! You don't need their product - all you need is a bar of soap. And their products make the world MORE germy in the end because the germs get immune to them AND they kill all the good bacteria in the sewage systems that help break down raw sewage. This, in turn, kills fish and a whole ecosystem.


So...just don't buy their stuff! Wash your hands for 15 seconds with regular soap, rubbing all over up to your writsts. It's the perfect germ-killer!

[chicajojobe]

That's disgusting, but I'm emphatically against censorship so I'd be a huge hypocrite to make an exception for v* just because I have a phobia.

[snakemed]

Wow, thanks for all your responses guys,


It's amazing how hearing what other people saycan giveyou more perspective. I totally never thought how the ad could actually benefit us by making people more aware of hygeine - and maybe their technique works for "normal" people (lol). And at least the ad didn't show/use sounds of ill people - that would be awful. [img]smileys/smilies_10.gif[/img]


Sorry if I sounded a bit neurotic, I guess a lot of it is to do with my feelings towards the v* word. I also feel kind of protective, like I was worried the ad would upset other emets or younger people.


Still, tis fun to imagine the people at Domestos running around responding to these complaints lol! Maybe they could spend more time killing germs and less time writing little songs for them to sing[img]smileys/smilies_04.gif[/img]

[snakemed]

Oh no!!


I just did something really stupid. I looked at the Domestos web-site! I felt bad for worrying and I know they are only trying to sell their bleachand kill germs. It was fine in that respect, but then it was talking about noroviruses and it said this - "it takes 10-100 virus particles tocause norovirus but when someone v*s, 30million are released into the air!!!" Oh my God. That's not good.I wish I didn't have this phobia. No one in my house are even ill but I can't stop thinking about it.


I feel so stupid for telling everyone else all this, but I can't stop the thoughts I have. The ad is quite triggering, as is anything that mentions illness or v* because it just makes me think about svs and want to wash my hands or clean the bathroom.

[phobos]

It may release 30 million into the air, but it can't be transmitted through air. You can't breath it in, and the germs need a nice warm, moist host in order to survive.

Just keep clean, thats the best way to keep well.

[confusedgirl]

that ad sounds nasty.. I'm glad I never saw it. I'm against censorship too (but I like it when people use good taste when making their ads, shows, etc).. but I definitely don't want to hear something like that! this reminds me, did anyone see the anti-smoking ads that are played occasionally.. they usually show something really disgusting, and finish by saying "kissing a smoker is just as gross." not to mention that just encourages discrimination against smokers, but the ads are very disturbing. they are all animated, but still. in one, these two people are on a date, and watching tv... a cat walks in front of the tv and has a hairball. then the girl turns away, the guy picks up the hairball and puts it in his Mouth... and then the girl turns back and the guy is leaning in to kiss her. It is horrible and graphic and disturbing, I was actually very tempted to report it for bad taste. I would be watching tv after school and having a snack, and I didn't want to look at that! I still can't watch it, I have to turn away when it comes on. It's really bothering to have to deal with gross ads or commercials when trying to relax and enjoy tv.

[chicajojobe]

Well I'll admit I've seen plenty of ads that, I wouldn't actually complain about them for the aforementioned reason, but that I also thought were in really bad taste.

A few years back there was an ad for Ammodium AD around the holidays with Santa Clause in a chimney. I found that one really disgusting because....Santa Clause with diarrhea? Seriously? I mean there's a lovely thought. EW!

[sage]

snakemed, go to the Q&A section and read Alvin's answers to everyone about noroviruses and how they're spread. You'll feel better. Honest - the answers are written in a way to make you feel better, even though they're technically and scientifically sound. The website you went to is written the opposite way - in a way to make you terrified so you buy their product. And it's totally true that you can't breathe it in...they don't mention that, do they? Bah! I hate fearmongering. But that's the joys of capitalism I guess.

[snakemed]

Cheers Sage (Do you guys use cheers to mean thanks in Canada?!)


I feel better having reasoned out the whole germ thing. That website made it sound so disgusting and contagious that their stupid advertising formula almost had me! I can't thank you and Alvin enough for that thread on svs, it is so reassuring to know all the factual information. As I said on that thread though - I can't believe how bad some peoples hygeine habits must befor these bugs to spread everywhere - they should all go and take a look at that site, might make 'em wash their hands more instead of us doingall the germ-conscious stuff! lol


Thanks again to you and Alvin!


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