Burnout Dominator Ad Campaign Comes Under Official Fire in U.K.
Burnout Dominator Ad Campaign Comes Under Official Fire in U.K.
June 27, 2007
On the heels of last week's banning of Manhunt 2 and criticism of the game biz in Parliament, video games continue to draw cultural ire in England.In the latest example, the BBC reports that a subway ad for EA's Burnout Dominator has been pulled after the Advertising Standards Authority received 37 complaints and ruled the poster "irresponsible." From the BBC:
The advert for Burnout Dominator showed a wrecked sports car, broken glass and a burning tyre, and had the slogan "Inner peace through outer violence".
...Games firm Electronic Arts said the poster was obviously for a video game. The advert would not be seen to support actual violence, the company added. Those who complained thought the poster was offensive and likely to encourage violence, dangerous driving or vandalism.
As veteran GamePolitics readers know, it's not the first time the ASA has taken action against a video game poster displayed in London's Tube.
Metro cites the ASA's ruling:
We considered that the vivid depiction of the crashed car and burning tyre, combined with the slogans implication that people could achieve inner peace through acts of violence, was likely to cause serious or widespread offence.
We noted Electronic Arts argument that the ad's message was that playing the Burnout Dominator game might relieve stress and tension in real life.
We considered the ad's placement on the London Underground meant that it would be viewed by many, including young people.
We considered that the images of a car that seemed to have crashed at high speed and a burning tyre, together with a reference to violence, could be seen to condone a violent lifestyle, anti-social behaviour or dangerous driving. We concluded that the ad was irresponsible.
The campaign was created by the Weiden + Kennedy marketing firm. A website which tracks the advertising sector explains:
The campaign is based on Kah Ra Shin, which originated in 19th-century Tibet.... The interactive website http://www.kahrashin.com/ teaches visitors how to use the Kah Ra Shin philosophy of releasing inner peace through outer violence through several videos... One video shows how for extreme cases of deep rooted and pathological anger, masters prescribe a new method of release—the adrenalin-fueled Burnout Dominator.
For its part, EA said it would remove the ads.
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Posted 11/08/09 at 12:24am
ZippyDSMlee: JDKJ:the only trouble is a bunch of witless hacks wrote it....its going to be a train wreck....
ZippyDSMlee: JDKJ:the only trouble is a bunch of witless hacks wrote it....its going to be a train wreck....
Posted 11/07/09 at 11:33pm
JDKJ: BREAKING: In photo-finish at the wire, House passes health care reform bill. Relatedly, in fit of pique, Austin Lewis kicks innocent dog.
JDKJ: BREAKING: In photo-finish at the wire, House passes health care reform bill. Relatedly, in fit of pique, Austin Lewis kicks innocent dog.
Posted 11/07/09 at 04:27pm
ZippyDSMlee: man I got alot of junk and dup files too >< god I need orginization...and no not the knee capping media mafia kind :P
ZippyDSMlee: man I got alot of junk and dup files too >< god I need orginization...and no not the knee capping media mafia kind :P
Posted 11/07/09 at 04:26pm
ZippyDSMlee: replaced :P
ZippyDSMlee: replaced :P
Posted 11/07/09 at 04:23pm
ZippyDSMlee: beemoh:hey its like 60GB porn,400GB anime 100GB games and crap I have took from all my DVDs, I hate waiting on dvds to install stuff..... oh and 40GB of my porn was in the found.000 folder...mostly corrupted.... least I got names of wut needs to be repa
ZippyDSMlee: beemoh:hey its like 60GB porn,400GB anime 100GB games and crap I have took from all my DVDs, I hate waiting on dvds to install stuff..... oh and 40GB of my porn was in the found.000 folder...mostly corrupted.... least I got names of wut needs to be repa
Posted 11/07/09 at 04:18pm
beemoh: @Zip: ...and you'd have to spend all that time re-downloading that porn?
beemoh: @Zip: ...and you'd have to spend all that time re-downloading that porn?
Posted 11/07/09 at 03:34pm
ZippyDSMlee: ggrrrrr......vista lost one of my hard drives and I had a heart attack thinking I lost 1TB of data....
ZippyDSMlee: ggrrrrr......vista lost one of my hard drives and I had a heart attack thinking I lost 1TB of data....
Posted 11/07/09 at 10:58am
JDKJ: Which could be explained by both (a) and (b).
JDKJ: Which could be explained by both (a) and (b).
Posted 11/07/09 at 10:56am
Austin_Lewis: JDKJ: You forgot C) the fact that, for some reason, every time he did something that would suggest he shouldn't be in the military, let alone an officer, higher ups ignored it or let it slide.
Austin_Lewis: JDKJ: You forgot C) the fact that, for some reason, every time he did something that would suggest he shouldn't be in the military, let alone an officer, higher ups ignored it or let it slide.
Posted 11/07/09 at 10:51am
JDKJ: Part of the problem is, I believe, that (a) the Army had a lot of time and money already invested in him and which they were unwilling to simply write-off and (b) an increasing need for the type of skills and services he provided.
JDKJ: Part of the problem is, I believe, that (a) the Army had a lot of time and money already invested in him and which they were unwilling to simply write-off and (b) an increasing need for the type of skills and services he provided.
Posted 11/07/09 at 10:48am
JDKJ: And that even if he was begging not to get cut loose, he was apparently a real good candidate for being cut loose, anyway.
JDKJ: And that even if he was begging not to get cut loose, he was apparently a real good candidate for being cut loose, anyway.
Posted 11/07/09 at 10:11am
JDKJ: @chada: And while Kennedy once noted that there's usually more than enough blame for everyone to get a slice, the possibility that the Army was unwilling to cut loose someone who was asking to get cut loose could be a factor.
JDKJ: @chada: And while Kennedy once noted that there's usually more than enough blame for everyone to get a slice, the possibility that the Army was unwilling to cut loose someone who was asking to get cut loose could be a factor.
Posted 11/07/09 at 10:07am
ZippyDSMlee: *noms on his feet*..nomnomnomnom*droooll* ...wuuutttttt uuu looking at?
ZippyDSMlee: *noms on his feet*..nomnomnomnom*droooll* ...wuuutttttt uuu looking at?
Posted 11/07/09 at 10:05am
JDKJ: I'm no psychologist, but I'm told that crazy people have a tendency to do crazy things.
JDKJ: I'm no psychologist, but I'm told that crazy people have a tendency to do crazy things.
Posted 11/07/09 at 10:03am
chadachada321: Whoops, was out of the convo for awhile. I do wonder what type of ammo he used etc, but the real issue is WHY he did it, not HOW
chadachada321: Whoops, was out of the convo for awhile. I do wonder what type of ammo he used etc, but the real issue is WHY he did it, not HOW
Posted 11/07/09 at 09:56am
JDKJ: But if it turns out that they actually did, they'll have Hell to pay.
JDKJ: But if it turns out that they actually did, they'll have Hell to pay.
Posted 11/07/09 at 09:45am
JDKJ: And I'd tend to rule out the possibilty of FN Herstal supplying restricted ammunition to someone merely because they're ordering it from a military base.
JDKJ: And I'd tend to rule out the possibilty of FN Herstal supplying restricted ammunition to someone merely because they're ordering it from a military base.
Posted 11/07/09 at 09:37am
JDKJ: I know you don't leave your gated community and get around much in dark alleys, so you may be surprised to learn that there's this thing called "the black market" where, if you've got enough money, ain't too much of anything which can't be bought.
JDKJ: I know you don't leave your gated community and get around much in dark alleys, so you may be surprised to learn that there's this thing called "the black market" where, if you've got enough money, ain't too much of anything which can't be bought.
Posted 11/07/09 at 09:36am
Austin_Lewis: Or, maybe he or someone else at the base ordered the SS190 from FN Herstal.
Austin_Lewis: Or, maybe he or someone else at the base ordered the SS190 from FN Herstal.
Posted 11/07/09 at 09:32am
Austin_Lewis: the hands of private owners. They run about 300 dollars minimum for a box of 50, and boxes of AP 5.7 are extremely scarce, mainly residing in the hands of Class III stores or individuals who for one reason or another got a demo box of it.
Austin_Lewis: the hands of private owners. They run about 300 dollars minimum for a box of 50, and boxes of AP 5.7 are extremely scarce, mainly residing in the hands of Class III stores or individuals who for one reason or another got a demo box of it.
Copyright © 2007 ECA. All rights reserved.
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Comments
When are they going to get it that the ad represented driving out your crash fantasies in a completely safe and fake environment. What do they think will happen with the ad? Will all the cars in the Underground drive into walls and set their tires on fire? Oh, wait! There are no cars in the Tube--just trains.
If it were a wrecked train, on the other hand, that might be a little scary....
This raises an interesting point though. If this ad, which isn't a game and doesn't appear to be related to a game to the casual observer, can potentially incite violence or cause offence... then how is gaming responsible at all, exactly? The people complaining didn't know it was an ad for Burnout, right? So if the same image with the same slogan were produced to advertise something else then they still would have complained. Conclusion: Burnout is off the hook. The *ad* is the thing being complained about, not the product it is promoting.
"We considered that the vivid depiction of the crashed car and burning tyre, combined with the slogans implication that people could achieve inner peace through acts of violence, was likely to cause serious or widespread offence."
What the government means:
"Citizens of London: you are idiots. Little more than mindless drones who will do anything you are told by a disembodied voice on the radio or text snippet on an ad. Fearing what might happen given the above, we (your government) do not trust you to think for yourselves and use common sense as you go about your daily lives. Any ads that might even remotely resemble a command or suggestion have been removed for your safety and ours. Have a nice day."
I say they remove the ads and replace them with the above blurb. I'd like to see the ASA deal with complaints from people who find the government's stance "irresponsible".
Artistic and creative... like, say, nearly-naked women draped over the body of a car? Those seem to go over fairly well.
- - - - -
We have been taking flak over calling the UK a Nanny State since the whole Manhunt issue started. Hello? Are we justified in it now? Sure seems that way to me...
Yes, I'm disagreeing with most of you.
It's a pretty juvenile advert and they could have been alot more artistic and creative with the idea instead of going for 'impact'.
Same, it doesn't make me want to buy the game since its a pretty 2d ad, nothing special about it. At first glance it just glorifies car crashes. EA then have a carefully set up explanation in response to the ad getting pulled.
The whole thing is a publicity stunt from step one. EA knew the ad would be pulled - they're not stupid. Them having this tibetan mystisysm comeback is just too pat, they had nothing like this when they had the black and white publicity stunt (which was banned as well).
They're using another viral thing, provoking controvasy in order to get people talking about it. What people? Us.
I guess the U.K. will next make it illegal for local papers to cover auto accidents and outlaw Buddism at the same time.
Seriously, Parliament, QUIT IT. Not every game is like Manhunt 2, and Manhunt 2's "refused classification" wasn't even a victory for the government. Whatever the BBFC's decision was right or not, they made it on their own, and they don't need YOU to tell them what to do. Grow up already, and go solve some real problems.
I'm not sure about Canada, but it seems like it's an only place left....
What the hell is wrong with that add? The only people who could find that one offencive is the nancy prissy suits in the Goverment over there. Tell me how that is worse than Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels? Note to self: UK now hostile to games, Europe is now no longer a place to flee in case of draft. 3 times in one month! Someone is bored over there.
PS sorry for the double post.
I don't think that they considered that, but maybe they will next time.
I can understand why people who don't know Burnout and never heard of Ka Rah Shen would question the ad. As for whether or not it should be taken down, I personally believe censorship is far more offensive than ambiguity, but often that's not the way it seems to work over in the UK (or Boston, or Denver...).
In any case, the campaign just gained 100-fold the attention it would have otherwise, so even though it will be taken down, it's already more than served its purpose -- good job Weiden + Kennedy, right?
"However, if it was an ad showing the effects of speeding or recklessness on the road, I’m sure they wouldn’t have a problem with it."
Actually that would be a good test. Change the slogan to something like "Drinking and driving kills" and then leave the ad up to see how many complaints go through.
The children don't run the world right now. In fact, they're closer to two generations away from running the world. How about we start thinking of next generation to take charge... the one who will look at the mistakes of those who are currently in power and who will remember how they were, in a sense, victimized for the sake of the children.
"Better be doing this ingame."
"zomg teh ads wil maek gammers driv teh carz and crassh thm, tink off teh chilldrenz"
I'm pretty sure someone who is already unstable could see it as encouragement to commit suicide. However, if it was an ad showing the effects of speeding or recklessness on the road, I'm sure they wouldn't have a problem with it. It doesn't seem obvious that it's for a game (not that it would matter if it was made obvious), and the slogan, while not really offensive, leaves itself open for interpretation.
....what?....
I'm just thinking poeple are jumping on every game they can for whatever BS reason they can think of. Its really the only reasonable explaination I can think of. I refuse to think that this many human beings are this dumb. We can't share the same genetic build as these idiots. Its just not possible they have to be plotting something. What are they up to?
And someone who lost a family member due to murder via butcher knife could find the sharp cutting implements in "Cooking Mama" distressing, whats your point?
I've found that walking on eggshells to try and offend no one ends with nothing but migraines.
Soon they are going to say that the discs themselves are being used as high powered discs of death a la TRON.
Sigh...its sad that all aspects of the gaming world is being attacked..Soon Blueprints and concept art are going to cause "death by copiers, wacom stylus stabbings, and other photoshop related deaths."
It also worries me because it seems my degree in animation and interactive media (fancy word for games, net, and end user related stuff) may be the reason I may never get a job with the testicular fortitude to put out new ideas from inside and out.
I'm scared..
I'm glad EA agreed to pull the ad rather than fighting back, but it was a bad decision to put the ad out there in the first place. Somebody who lost a friend of ramily member in a driving accident could find that image very distressing.
Nice ad idea, but it's a little silly that so many news and blog sites out there are pretending that it's real.
There's no context given in to which you could place the slogan, so given the nature of the slogan, why shouldn't it cause offense? I don't see how it's all that different to the pamphlet's distributed around my town a couple of years ago telling us to "drive the sudanese out". And I sure as hell considered that offensive.
If there was something to place the slogan within the contexts of a video game world, then I wouldn't have any problem with it, however.
I don't think it was the imagery so much as the motto, if a Drink Driving campaign had a picture of a crashed car with a motto of 'One less pissed idiot', I'm sure people would take offence, regardless of the original intentions of the ad.
I am taking into account the attitudes on games by the British pols, the fact that the gov't can ban any kind of media (manhunt 2), and that this ad is being banned by the gov't because they say it will cause people to be violent.
Its insulting to the public to have their government say that they can't be trusted with certain media.
I know the ASA banned an anti-smoking ad-series for being too 'unsettling', and quite frankly I agreed with them, it was nothing to do with Cancer or anything, it was just pictures of normal people with fishing lines hooked in their mouths to represent the addiction, but the sight of it made your eyes water...
http://www.morningadvertiser.co.uk/news_detail.aspx?articleid=34943
Normally these guys don't just work around the number of complaints, they're in a more difficult position than the BBFC because there is no way whatsoever of controlling who sees an advert, so they DO have to be mindful of more impressionable young minds.