The UK’s Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has banned the Crazy Frog from appearing on British TV before Nine O’clock in the evening in an effort to protect children.
The Crazy Frog has already irritated a nation. We even set up a campaign to see off this Verisign-created trash. Kids across the land – and we’re talking children less than 16 here – spend cash downloading it, which actually meant they were “subscribing” to the Jamster club when they did. This meant hefty mobile phone bills and money being spent without them knowing about it. This is why the ASA banned the commercial before 9PM, however Jamster weren’t too happy with the decision and came up with some cock-and-balls research about how only “a very small minority” of there customers were aged less than 16. Their “research” was based on a quick straw-poll of .. their own customer service centre.. and obviously, the staff want to keep the jobs don’t they ? The ASA was having none of this, and told them that their research wasn’t worth the paper it was written on.
Although “the frog” has been killed off in day-time TV, it does leave the door wide open for others, and with £740m being spent on ringtones, games and pictures in the UK alone. Bloody HELL that’s a lot of cash! This is actually an increase from £40m in 2002.
Source – The Register.co.uk