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Scottish Sun

Scot star's terrifying ad banned for causing ‘widespread offence'

' I think all this did is anger people.' Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) TWO advert controversies have hit the headlines in the past week. Actress Sydney Sweeney's cheeky new 'good jeans' promo for American Eagle has been slated for having undertones of white supremacy. Sign up for the Entertainment newsletter Sign up 3 Sydney Sweeney's ad is turning heads 3 The vegan ad has been banned Meanwhile, a shock cinema commercial from vegan charity Viva! - starring Scots actor Nolan Willis - has been banned for being too distressing to would-be viewers. Features Editor LYNN KERNAN speaks to advertising experts about when controversy works for a brand and when it crosses the line. A GOOD ad has to be memorable - but it can't shock you into change. That's according to advertising expert Ian Greenhill, who runs creative firm Studio Something. Vegan campaigners Viva! Certainly made an impact with their Dairy is Scary promo. However, Ian reckons it wasn't the right way to make a difference. He said: 'Looking at that vegan ad, I don't think that's convinced anyone to move away from drinking milk.' The £40,000 cinema ad depicted a terrifying ghoul, played by actor Nolan, running a baby bottle along the side of an empty tot's crib before telling its terrified mum: 'You can't keep your baby because we want your milk!'. The scene then shifted to a male calf separated from his mother. Despite getting the promo approved, the Advertising Standards Agency received 25 complaints claiming it was distressing - including one from The Dairy Council of Northern Ireland- particularly to people who'd lost a child. And the watchdog banned the ad after ruling it could cause 'widespread offence'. Ian reckons it had the opposite effect than Viva! set out to achieve. He said: 'A good ad needs to be memorable. It needs to sell something, change people's minds or inspire them to do something. 'But I think all this did is anger people - it's not done the 'behaviour change' part. 'It's raised awareness of calves getting taken away from their mothers. But I think a lot of people knew that. You have to ask, has it got people on side with the cause? I would argue it's done the opposite and portrayed the negatives of veganism more than the positives.' Sydney Sweeney stuns in new American Eagle ad The charity, however, argued it was necessary for the Dairy is Scary flick to be shocking. Juliet Gellatley, Viva's founder and director, said: 'Ads about social issues should make people feel something. Commercial ads try to convince us to part with our hard earned cash, however our ad is information-based, and shows what really happens behind closed doors in the dairy industry. 'We believe people have a right to know where their food comes from. Sometimes, the truth is shocking - and that's not a reason to hide it.' While shock tactics can work, Ian reckons there are more powerful ways of making big statements. He said: 'A great example of how to use shock was when CALM, the mental health charity, did a thing called missed birthdays last year. 'They did a big display in a shopping centre in London, with loads of balloons each for a person who had died by suicide in the last year. It was shocking but there was a deeper message behind it.' And when it comes to the Syndey Sweeney ad, Ian thinks content creators have to think of the big picture. He said: 'I know a lot of people are quite annoyed with that one, there's talk about eugenics and white supremacy. People can look into things quite deeply and maybe brands and marketeers forget that actually it might be for one audience, but everyone can see an ad. 'So you've got to think about the brand perception.' While companies still need to advertise, the landscape has changed in the last few years with the rise of streaming and decline of linear telly. Meanwhile, influencer marketing is big business. Ian said: 'Often now advertising is down to people, influencers and communities that are changing people's minds. So I think the TV ad, making a big splash has changed the most, it's a lot harder for brands to get noticed. 'That's probably why a lot of them have been into shock tactics or using controversy because it's an easy way to get headlines. But I would still argue it doesn't change people's minds about the brand.' And in the future, the expert reckons it'll be even more about people focused adverts than the splashy promos of the past. Ian explained: 'I think TV and advertising will converge more and more with each other. Ad-funded programming, for example, so you might see a cooking show on Amazon that will be sponsored by a brand. 'And more content creators, people that are a brand themselves, having a stake in the brand. So rather than just getting paid a fee, there's entrepreneurial spirit, they want skin in the game. 'It's completely changed with the younger generation. ' They want that founder story rather than just here's a beer that you like. If you look at Tom Holland's non-alcoholic beer, he's at the front of it, he's the face of it and he's building the brand. And I think that's probably the biggest change we're seeing.'