ASA Trolls

Basically if you find something offensive in an advert or promotion you can report it to the ASA and they may or may not act upon it. However this has opened the door to what I call the ASA Trolls, a small proportion of the population who must sit watching every advert looking for something to complain about. The above is a clear example of people with far too much time on their hands. This rather harmless coca-cola advert starring the nasally challenged Duffy received the following complaints: Eighteen viewers complained the singer, from Nefyn, Gwynedd, was not wearing reflective clothing and her bicycle had no lights in the Diet Coke commercial. The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) also said four viewers worried children could copy her behaviour. After investigating (yes taxpayers you can be glad your money is being wasted investigating this crap), the ASA did not uphold the complaints, noting the "fantasy context" and deciding that older children would understand cycling round a supermarket was not a realistic situation ( Well DOH!!!!). The Rational British Public: 1, The ASA Trolls: 0 G