Channel 4 has launched a bold marketing campaign for its new six-part cyber thriller The Undeclared War.
In a thirty-second radio spot launching on Saturday 11th June, the Prime Minister (Rt Hon Andrew Makinde) will issue a message that asserts: ‘We have learnt that the UK is under threat of imminent cyberattack by an as-yet-unknown foreign power. Your safety is our priority’ before the transmission is mysteriously cut short, undermining his words of assurance.
I’m intrigued to hear this ad. The TV version seems pretty clear it’s a spoof but if the radio ad is exactly as described could complaints to the ASA and/or Ofcom be upheld?
The Ofcom Broadcasting Code states that simulated news must be broadcast in such a way that there is no reasonable possibility of the audience being misled into believing they are listening to actual news.
In the past, the ASA has cleared ads which sound like bulletins based on them not appearing first or last in a break and that they don’t match the radio station’s style of reporting, but this seems a little different.
UPDATE: The ad starts with a female VO introducing "a message from the Prime Minister..." before namechecking the character who sounds nothing like Boris Johnson - these make it distinguishable.
There’s also a generic version available to speech stations or anyone who feels the main creative is inappropriate.
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