Does this commercial offend you?

[Jason Dunn]

<a href="http://207.46.228.253/eu/champagnehi.wmv">http://207.46.228.253/eu/champagnehi.wmv</a><br /><br />I thought there might be some interesting discussion around this XBox commercial that was apparently banned. It must have hit the air for a least a short time, or it wouldn't have been banned, but I certainly didn't see it on any local stations. Is the video offensive? I thought it was quite innovative - I've never seen anything like it before. Offensive? Only if you're not self-aware enough to accept the inevitability of death... (link courtesy of <a href="http://www.online-tonight.com">Online Tonight</a>)

[marlof]

Not offensive. Not at all. Not one bit or pixel.

[Perry Reed]

Innovative? Certainly.

Offensive? Nah.

Disturbing? Maybe a little. :)

[Steven Cedrone]

Actually, I thought it was funny. The problem is that there are way too many up tight people in the world. :roll: These are the same people that will protest that a show be cancelled instead of just changing the channel.

[Devils advocate]
About the only valid argument I can even think of is when and where they would air the commercial (It might be a bit much at 7:30 AM on Nick Jr.*).......
[/Devils advocate]

* For those that don't know: Nick Jr. is geared towards very young children

[hshortt]

Now then, here's where I get flamed!

I don't like the video. The first time I viewed it I felt a little disoriented, subsequent viewings just put me right off my lunch.

I can fully understand the reasons it was removed from broadcast schedules, and don't forget us Europeans have tighter controls around what can and can not be shown on telly before the watershed of 9pm.

However, I do agree that the advert is innovative, but would you agree that it's distasteful?? and a little depressing? That's the view I get from it and probably why I went and bought a Playstation2.

Cheeri-bye.

[Jason Dunn]

About the only valid argument I can even think of is when and where they would air the commercial (It might be a bit much at 7:30 AM on Nick Jr.*).......

Yeah, I'll agree with that - this is NOT a video a child should see. It should probably air after 9 PM at night, and no other times.

[pt]

However, I do agree that the advert is innovative, but would you agree that it's distasteful?? and a little depressing? That's the view I get from it and probably why I went and bought a Playstation2.


you bought a lower quality console (that's my opinion). because of a commercial? if that's really the only reason please have oodles of kids, spread the genes, marketing and sales will finally start working!! we may have a chance yet.

so you do realize we die. all of us, we die. that's the deal.

you should read this:
http://www.cluetrain.com/apocalypso.html

[helios]

I thought there might be some interesting discussion around this XBox commercial that was apparently banned. It must have hit the air for a least a short time, or it wouldn't have been banned, but I certainly didn't see it on any local stations.

That spot was created for the European launch of the XBox. It never played Stateside. It was banned in Britain because people there complained to the ITC.

You can find more info at:
http://www.boardsmag.com/screeningroom/commercials/235

And here's a news article about the banning:

U.K. unplugs "shocking" Xbox ads
Source: http://www.xboxaddict.com/
Type: News

Regulators in the United Kingdom have given the thumbs-down to a Microsoft advertisement for the Xbox console that has offended some viewers.

The Independent Television Commission has slammed the ad as "shocking" and banned the commercial from U.K. television.

The ad begins with a newborn child flying through a window before aging decades in seconds--then crashing and screaming into a grave as an elderly man. It was designed to illustrate the phrase: "Life is short. Play more."

The ITC, which has the power to ban ads that it considers unsuitable to be shown onscreen, said it received 136 complaints about the Xbox ad.

The Guardian Unlimited Web site reports that the ITC has also expressed its displeasure to the Broadcast Advertising Clearance Center, which had approved the Xbox ad.

In its ruling, published this week, the ITC said that "the man’s screams throughout his life’s journey suggested a traumatic experience, which, together with the reminder that life is short, made the final scene more shocking."

Microsoft issued a statement in response to the ITC’s ruling, apologizing to anyone who was offended or upset by the ad.

The company is expected to continue showing the ad in cinemas, however, which are not regulated by the ITC.

The ad can be viewed on the Playmore.com Web site, which includes a warning about its "potentially shocking and disturbing nature."

[vetteguy]

Maybe it's because of the choppy video (is it my T-1 or is it a bad recording?) but I don't even get it. To me it looks like shots of a woman giving birth to a baby who shoots through the air, and each successive shot is the guy getting older. The last shot is a tombstone. How does this even have anything to do with an XBOX?

[Foo Fighter]

Yikes! It's downright freek show!

But I'm not offended. Jerry Falwell is more disturbing than this commercial. :P

[helios]

Maybe it's because of the choppy video (is it my T-1 or is it a bad recording?) but I don't even get it. To me it looks like shots of a woman giving birth to a baby who shoots through the air, and each successive shot is the guy getting older. The last shot is a tombstone. How does this even have anything to do with an XBOX?

Nothing really. But a lot of advertising today is geared towards being overly "hip" or "edgy" or "shocking". This one was supposed to come across as shocking or edgy, I suppose. There was an opinion article on Salon.com about edgy advertising and this particular ad just a few days ago.

[Brad Adrian]

How does this even have anything to do with an XBOX?

The very crux of XBOX marketing is the byline: Life is short; play more.

I didn't find this offensive, just pretty goofy. Of course, I've seen some of the other commercials that play on the "life is short" theme, and none of them really floats my boat.

[bones]

Simple Message + Powerful Imagery = POINT DELIVERED.

GREAT AD.

If it is air'ed during the appropriate slots for the correct age group - it would be a huge hit.

I can see the religious groups complaining from the angle that it de-values life on this earth in general - seeing that microsofts spin was that life is a a tight-spirraled, 30 second shot from a womb between the uprights into a casket ........

i think its great! Good work!

[fulltilt]

I agree Jerry Falwell is more disturbing! :wink:

[mgd]

I didn't find anything offensive when I first saw this ad just before the official release of the XBox here in Spain, but then again maybe I'm a tad bit jaded by what I've seen on regular non-cable tv here. Not too many years ago, I saw the UNCUT version of Caligula on Spanish television (TVE) at a time when most kids are awake. IMHO, the ad was funny and innovative.

[jpaq]

I can't seem to get the link to play properly either. I get the first few seconds of video, it freezes, and all I get is the audio.

I know someone suggested playhard.com to see it but I don't feel like signing in to another site today.

Any other sites with a link or the actual file?

[klinux]

Creative but in poor taste, IMHO.

[bones]

Copy the WMV file to my PPC?

http://207.46.228.253/eu/champagnehi.wmv

Its streaming from I server, that much I can tell, but is there anyway to "collect" it and save it to my ppc for playing there?

[nwarren]

I'm obviously in the minority here when I say that this was one of the most tasteless adverts I've ever seen in the UK - I was shocked by MS when it was originally aired. For a company that's reknowned for its marketing machine, this, and others in the Xbox series, send out a worrying message about their considered profile of the Xbox market.

This isn't creative, it's warped. It demeans childbirth, life and death, and is an attempt to interest an audience by shocking them, which is neither clever nor mature.

I'm all for thinking out of the box, for pushing the boundaries, for being experimental, but this is well beyond the fringes of what I consider socially acceptable and I applaud the ITC for banning it.

Let the flames begin...

[Ray Cheshire]

This advert isn't tasteless. I think it's rather clever in fact. That's not to say some advertising doesn't offend or sicken me- I can't sit through those NSPCC adverts aired on UK TV.
I often wonder if the ITC and others of their ilk should possess a little more backbone. The UK is well known for it's clever and entertaining adverts and I for one don't want to see such creativity stifled.
BTW I'm not in advertising. I work (I'm a high school science teacher) with the same youngsters organisations such as the ITC try to 'protect' and they found the advert very entertaining.
I say let's see more creative content and if such content offends then turn over or switch off but let's not kill it for everybody.

[griph]

I had no problem with the video but can see why others might feel unhappy. Having grown up through the Monty Python era I am no stranger to black humour which is common in the UK. Just view the video "The Meaning of Life" and you will know what I mean.

I would agree that restricting viewing to after "The Watershed" is probably wise as small children could be disturbed by it.

Interestingly they have just banned an advert for Hula Hoops which showed electric eels being given free to the public. I'm not quite sure of the relevance of the eels but it was apparently giving children nightmares! I can understand why!

[Duncan]

This advert - which was honest and entertaining gets banned in the UK.

At the same time another advert has been broadcast, from early evening onwards, on the BBC, for weeks now.

In this advert we see a man listening to his neighour (man's voice) shouting abuse and calling someone useless, we hear the sound of things being thrown and something being thumped. The camera now takes us next door to see that the man is shouting his abuse a at computer for not working properly.

The advert is for some BBC course or information about using computers - and the witty tag line? "Stop computer abuse". So, having seen this oh so hilarious ad - comparing computing difficulties to the really funny subject of wife abuse - I rang a TV company for the first time in my life to complain, utterly horrified, that this ad could even have been concieved of - never mind shown. What do I learn? The woman I speak to tells me that they have a record of THREE other complaints - in TOTAL!

So - how many complaints were there about the XBox ad again..?

[Steven Cedrone]

Its streaming from I server, that much I can tell, but is there anyway to "collect" it and save it to my ppc for playing there?

Bones, go here:

http://www.gamespy.com/bizbuzz/june02/bizbuzz20/

Steve

[eric linsley]

i think it was very innovative . however i think it was a bad comemrical for the x-box. kind asick adn it loks like it had ametaphor ideal but come on if life is so short im not gona wast it playing a x-box im gonna sit down at my omputer and paln the destruciton of palm HA HA HA HA HAHA A......

Um.. Sorry

Realy i think it was a very artistc comerical but realy i dont thinkit was agood ad for the x-box

enough said

"yes palms are simpler than Pocket PC's, But so is my tricylce to me Car. Geus which one i go to work in"

[Andy Sjostrom]

It is one of the best commercials I have ever seen. I am surprised it was banned. It certainly delivers that extra unexpected that makes people remember the ad...! :D

[hshortt]

Hullo nwarren,

I totally agree with you! This ad is patethic and distasteful.

Bring em' on.
Howard

[Mark (NL)]

OMG I just can't believe people have problems with a ad like this, while everything you see on the news is far more disturbing (and real)!

I think this ad certainly made impact just like the man hidding the tumbstone &lt;lol> And that is what counts in advertising isn't it?

In my eyes this ad isn't one bit disturbing, bad taste or whatever other people say about it, it is creative, an aproach that is certainly different from all others and after all those "Nice and be happy ads" it is a welcome change!

But I guess the Netherlands is kinda liberal on what is shown on TV anyway :wink:

[fishd1]

It demeans childbirth, life and death, and is an attempt to interest an audience by shocking them, which is neither clever nor mature.

I'd say that it hits it's target audience then... :lol:

Really, if people find this kind of advertising offensive and shocking you need to switch off your TV. There are far more shocking things than this on television, some of them quoted in this thread... childline adverts about abused children, adverts about children being struck by cars, people dying in car crashes from having their skulls crushed and even ads about people abusing animals...

This ad I found funny ...although not as innovative as the Playstation advert a few years back, you know, the one that featured loads of kids with the diaglogue "For years I've lived a double life, in the day I do my job, roll up my sleeves with the hoy-paloy, but at night I life a life of exhileration, missed heatbeats and adrenaline. A life of dubious virtue. You might not think it to look at me but I've commanded armies, and conquored worlds. And though I've set morality aside at least I can say, I've lived." I loved that advert and thought it was VERY clever... but i never bought a Playstation... *shrug* I've got an xBox though...

[jpaq]

OK. Finally saw it.

Pretty damn funny.

You people are taking yourselves too freakin ' seriously. Get over it. It's a commercial and a pretty innovative one at that.

This is a commercial. This is only a commercial. If this were a real life altering or important issue or subject, your common sense would notify you as such. This is only a commercial.

Life is short. We don't laugh enough. And not everything is out to get us or offend us.

Get over it.
Move on.

[ali]

I applaud nwarren's comments!

The commercial AND the message it sends are offensive! If you wouldn't want your kids to see it, then there MUST be something wrong with it!

[nwarren]

I may be taking this too seriously, but that's because I have standards. Standards which I think are pretty damn important, and hopefully say a lot about my integrity, compassion and care for others.

I care about what my children see on the TV, so why shouldn't I care about what other people watch - I don't generally stick my nose in other people's business, but when a comment is invited (as Jason did with this thread), then I feel it's okay to stand up and be counted. I'm glad I'm not alone on this matter, but I'd still be sticking to my guns even if I wasn't.

One of the most significant problems with society is the constant erosion of people's values - liberalisation - but I believe you've got to draw a line. Our children's children are unlikely to grow up in a safe society, free from drugs and crime, but unless we start drawing lines, our children's, children's, children will also live in a society that is running towards anarchy.

You may find this funny and creative, I don't. I know where I'm drawing my lines, do you know where you draw yours?

[Jason Dunn]

The commercial AND the message it sends are offensive! If you wouldn't want your kids to see it, then there MUST be something wrong with it!

With all due respect, I disagree. I don't have a child, but if I had a five year old, I wouldn't want them to see the LORD OF THE RINGS movie. Does that mean there's something wrong with the movie? No. What it means is that the maturity level of the child isn't prepared for the contents of the movie.

I suppose I have no qualms about adults seeing this commercial because it quite shockingly shows how quickly life can pass us by. Death comes to all. I don't feel uncomfortable viewing it because I know where I'm going when I die. :P