Friday 29 August 2014

More gobbledygook in radio ads

I hope one day this will be a fond piece of #radiomoments history. It is the ends of three ads from the same ad break today.




Under UK laws and restrictions, ads are currently required to carry all manner of disclaimers. The idea is that they protect consumers. They truly do not.

Anyone who understands how radio, and indeed the consumption of much media, works knows well that listeners reap only a few takeaways from each ad.  The people whose job it is to produce ads know that all too well.  Any detailed caveats, therefore, are utterly redundant.

No-one can buy anything instantly by shouting at the radio, there is ample time for due consideration of deals and small print.  The point of advertisement is not the place. It achieves less than nothing, and the time must be right for a sensible view of the sort of regulations which drive these requirements. They ill-serve consumers.

Even 'Ts and Cs apply' is a pointless phrase: a) what is the opposite? Absolutely no terms and conditions apply to this offer? And b) Many listeners may  not even understand what a T or a C is.

I rant more here: on an earlier post.

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