Although this advert was for a good cause, it was banned. I
think that is because what the advert could have meant. Even though they never actually
swear, the producer and director of the advert made the script to make the
viewers’ assume they were in fact, swearing.
The thing is, I watched another advert to understand why
certain adverts are banned and I came across the Flora butter advert, ‘wrestling
by Josh’. In this advert the children catch their parents “wrestling”, now most
people would think something else such as sex but because they didn’t actually
use the word the wasn’t banned but doesn’t that mean ‘The F word’ advert
shouldn’t be banned because they didn’t use the word? The reason why the Flora
butter advert wasn’t banned is because they used an animation which gives it an
innocence. If they were real people/ actors, the advert may have been banned
because it becomes more realistic and makes people think more into it than with
an animation.
‘The F word’ was banned because they were real people and
celebrities. When children watch the advert, they could believe its ok to say
the ‘F’ word because they saw celebrities saying it. They probably wouldn’t
understand the fact that they are not actually saying the word because as a
young child you focus on the big things. A person swearing, at that age, is a ‘big
thing’. So as celebrities, they should be setting examples for young children
and although it’s a campaign and making people aware, as I said, children
wouldn’t understand that.
For older people, the advert is very powerful which instantly
makes it successful. It draws the viewers in right from the beginning when they
are all “swearing”, by the time they start using the word ‘Famine’, the
audience are already gripped and involved in the advert, which means they got
the message. This is also an advert I would go and tell my friends about
because it’s an advert I could talk about, however it may not make me talk
about the actual meaning behind the advert, it would probably make me say
things like “Did you see Jessica Alba in that advert?” Or “Did you see the
advert about swearing with all the celebrities”, but I believe it’s all down to
age and maturity as to how you would understand it.
