Difference between revisions of "2008 Counter-Terrorism advertising campaign"

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{{event
 
{{event
|start=2008
+
|start=July 2008
|end=2008
+
|end=August 2008
 
|image=2008_Counter-Terrorism_advertising_campaign.jpg
 
|image=2008_Counter-Terrorism_advertising_campaign.jpg
 
|image_width=370px
 
|image_width=370px
|type=campaign
 
 
|constitutes=propaganda
 
|constitutes=propaganda
|description=A UK government program to ramp up [[fear]] of [[terrorism]] that was banned after public complaints.
+
|description=A UK government program to ramp up [[fear]] of "[[terrorism]]" that was banned after public complaints.
 +
|powerbase=http://www.powerbase.info/index.php/2008_Counter-Terrorism_advertising_campaign
 +
|perpetrators=Metropolitan Police, Greater Manchester Police, West Yorkshire Police, West Midlands Police
 
}}
 
}}
 +
The '''2008 Counter-Terrorism advertising campaign''' was a joint effort by the [[Metropolitan Police]] and the police forces of [[Greater Manchester Police|Greater Manchester]], [[West Yorkshire Police|West Yorkshire]] and the [[West Midlands Police|West Midlands]] to promote the "[[war on terror]]" and encourage "alertness" on the part of the UK populace. A five-week poster and radio campaign entreated the public to report any “suspicious behaviour” they may have encountered to the [[Anti-Terrorist Hotline]]. It was widely subvertised and criticised.
 +
 
==Official Narrative==
 
==Official Narrative==
<youtube size="small" align="right" caption="Audio Recording of Banned Radio Advert that appeared on Talksport. Retrieved on 12 August 2010">lQubNQ5-ULc</Youtube>
 
 
[[Image:Poster 1.jpg|thumb|300px|right|One of the actual official posters from 2008]]
 
[[Image:Poster 1.jpg|thumb|300px|right|One of the actual official posters from 2008]]
In 2008, the [[Metropolitan Police]] and the police forces of Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire and the West Midlands launched a five-week poster and radio campaign to get members of the public to report any “suspicious behaviour” they may have encountered in their daily lives to the [[Anti-Terrorist Hotline]]. The slogans of the campaign were – “if you suspect it, report it” and “Terrorists won’t succeed if someone reports suspicious activity – you are that somebody”.<ref>[http://www.met.police.uk/campaigns/campaign_ct.htm 2006 Metropolitan Police Counter-Terrorism Advertising Campaign Launched] Metropolitan Police, accessed 23 Nov 2009</ref>
+
The campaign became known for its poster campaign, which had slogans such as:
 
+
* “If you suspect it, report it”
The campaign became known for its poster campaign, which had simplistic and wide-sweeping slogans such as:<ref>[http://www.met.police.uk/campaigns/campaign_ct_2008.htm 2008 Counter-Terrorism Advertising Campaign Launched], Metropolitan Police website, accessed 23 Nov 2009</ref>
+
* “Terrorists won’t succeed if someone reports suspicious activity – you are that somebody”.
 
+
* “Thousands of people have mobiles. What if someone with several seems suspicious?”   
*“Thousands of people have mobiles. What if someone with several seems suspicious?”   
 
 
* “You see hundreds of houses every day. What if one has unusual activity and seems suspicious?”   
 
* “You see hundreds of houses every day. What if one has unusual activity and seems suspicious?”   
 
* “Thousands of people take pictures every day. What if one of them seems odd?”
 
* “Thousands of people take pictures every day. What if one of them seems odd?”
 +
<ref>[http://www.met.police.uk/campaigns/campaign_ct.htm 2006 Metropolitan Police Counter-Terrorism Advertising Campaign Launched] Metropolitan Police, accessed 23 Nov 2009</ref>
  
==Police Rationale for Campaign==
+
===Rationale===
 +
The lead-agency that devised the campaign, the [[Metropolitan Police]], suggested that the campaign was crucial because even though the [[London]] public was aware of "[[terrorism]]", they lacked “alertness”. When Londoners thought about "terrorism", they thought of “’bombs on tube/bus’, ‘man with rucksack’ because of past events. Their minds jump straight to the point of attack and therefore what they do not necessarily consider are the planning stages leading up to an attack.” The purpose of the campaign was to inform the public that rather than the actual attack, information was required about its preparation stages. Therefore, the campaign aimed to alert the public of the “community setting eg. home, local area, place of work etc...” <ref name="Poster Campaign">See Appendix 1, [http://www.mpa.gov.uk/committees/mpa/2007/070628-agm/09/ MPS response to the MPA report 'Counter Terrorism: the London Debate'], ‘‘Metropolitan Police Authority’’, Report 9, 28 June 2007, produced by the Commissioner, accessed 13.08.10</ref>
  
The rationale behind the poster campaign was explained by the lead-agency that devised the campaign, the [[Metropolitan Police]], who suggested that the campaign was crucial because even though the public of London was aware of terrorism issues , they lacked “alertness”. When Londoners thought about terrorism, they thought of “’bombs on tube/bus’, ‘man with rucksack’ because of past events. Their minds jump straight to the point of attack and therefore what they do not necessarily consider are the planning stages leading up to an attack.” The purpose of the campaign was to inform the public that rather than the actual attack, information was required about its preparation stages. Therefore, the campaign aimed to alert the public of the “community setting eg. home, local area, place of work etc...” <ref name="Poster Campaign">See Appendix 1, [http://www.mpa.gov.uk/committees/mpa/2007/070628-agm/09/ MPS response to the MPA report 'Counter Terrorism: the London Debate'], ‘‘Metropolitan Police Authority’’, Report 9, 28 June 2007, produced by the Commissioner, accessed 13.08.10</ref>
+
Similar campaigns were started again in 2017 <ref>https://www.gov.uk/government/news/cnc-supports-national-counter-terrorism-campaign</ref> and 2019 (cinema advertising campaign).<ref>https://news.npcc.police.uk/releases/counter-terrorism-policing-launch-cinema-advertising-campaign-to-encourage-reports-from-the-public</ref><ref>https://ethicalmarketingnews.com/counter-terrorism-policing-launches-cinema-campaign</ref>
  
==Objectives of Campaign==
+
==Objectives==
 +
The campaign was part of the "[[war on terror]]".
  
 
===Operational Objectives===
 
===Operational Objectives===
 
+
* Collate "actionable information" to minimise the risk from "terrorism"
* Collate "actionable information" to minimise the risk from terrorism  
+
* To "reassure" the public that the [[Metropolitan Police]] and other police forces are working hard to combat "terrorism"
* To "reassure" the public that the [[Metropolitan Police]] and other police forces are working hard to combat terrorism
 
 
* To ensure that people who reside in vulnerable areas understand what constitutes suspicious activity and understand the avenues to report such suspicions - ie., the [[Anti-Terrorist Hotline]].<ref name="Poster Campaign"/>
 
* To ensure that people who reside in vulnerable areas understand what constitutes suspicious activity and understand the avenues to report such suspicions - ie., the [[Anti-Terrorist Hotline]].<ref name="Poster Campaign"/>
  
 
===Direct Objectives===
 
===Direct Objectives===
 
 
* Raise awareness, and trust, in [[Anti-Terrorist Hotline]]
 
* Raise awareness, and trust, in [[Anti-Terrorist Hotline]]
 
* Encourage people to report "suspicious" activity
 
* Encourage people to report "suspicious" activity
 
* Educate people what constitutes "suspicious activity"
 
* Educate people what constitutes "suspicious activity"
* "Reinforce and remind" the public to remain "alert and vigilant" in the "fight against terrorism"
+
* "Reinforce and remind" the public to remain "alert and vigilant" in the "fight against "terrorism""
* To ensure the public understands that the Police is working hard to combat terrorism. <ref name="Poster Campaign"/>
+
* To ensure the public understands that the Police is working hard to combat "terrorism". <ref name="Poster Campaign"/>
 
 
==Stakeholders in Campaign==
 
  
 +
==Stakeholders ==
 
According to the [[Metropolitan Police]] Service, the stakeholders in the poster campaign are: <ref name="Poster Campaign"/>  
 
According to the [[Metropolitan Police]] Service, the stakeholders in the poster campaign are: <ref name="Poster Campaign"/>  
 
 
* [[Metropolitan Police Service]] and [[Metropolitan Police Authority]]
 
* [[Metropolitan Police Service]] and [[Metropolitan Police Authority]]
 
* The [[Home Office]]
 
* The [[Home Office]]
Line 55: Line 55:
 
* [[MOD|MOD Police]]
 
* [[MOD|MOD Police]]
  
==Using the Media to Target the Campaign==
+
==Corporate Media==
 +
Research into the poster and radio campaign indicated that the best time to target people with the adverts was in the evening because when people were going into work, they did not let the threat of "terrorism" "get in the way of going about their day ... [and] were therefore, less likely to engage with a counter-terrorism message when in this work-focussed ... mode." <ref name="Poster Campaign"/>
  
Research into the poster and radio campaign indicated that the best time to target people with the adverts was in the evening because when people were going into work, they did not let the threat of terrorism "get in the way of going about their day ... [and] ... were therefore, less likely to engage with a counter-terrorism message when in this work-focussed ... mode." <ref name="Poster Campaign"/>
+
Research suggested that the best time to communicate the message of the campaign was when people were in a "home mode" and were on their way home to see "family and friends" because "people do not generally fear for themselves when thinking about "terrorism"" but fear for "those close to them" and therefore "by communicating our messages at a time when our audience are on their way home to see these people would make the communication resonate even more." <ref name="Poster Campaign"/>
 
 
Research suggested that the best time to communicate the message of the campaign was when people were in a "home mode" and were on their way home to see "family and friends" because "people do not generally fear for themselves when thinking about terrorism" but fear for "those close to them" and therefore "by communicating our messages at a time when our audience are on their way home to see these people would make the communication resonate even more." <ref name="Poster Campaign"/>
 
  
 
This requirement led to key evening press titles and radio slots to be chosen for dissemination of the campaign. <ref name="Poster Campaign"/>  
 
This requirement led to key evening press titles and radio slots to be chosen for dissemination of the campaign. <ref name="Poster Campaign"/>  
  
Another major benefit of the evening slot was that an ongoing high-profile terrorism court-case ([[Operation Crevice]]) was being reported by the media, which meant that "our advertising was integrated within relevant editorial which would have generated higher recall amongst readers".<ref name="Poster Campaign"/>
+
Another major benefit of the evening slot was that an ongoing high-profile "terrorism" court-case ([[Operation Crevice]]) was being reported by the media, which meant that "our advertising was integrated within relevant editorial which would have generated higher recall amongst readers".<ref name="Poster Campaign"/>
  
 
Radio stations were selected because "the nature of radio ... meant that specific days and dayparts could be upweighted [and this] enabled the communication to reach people during drive time, evenings and weekends, as well as more towards the end of the week rather than the beginning [of the week] when they [were] in “work mode”".  
 
Radio stations were selected because "the nature of radio ... meant that specific days and dayparts could be upweighted [and this] enabled the communication to reach people during drive time, evenings and weekends, as well as more towards the end of the week rather than the beginning [of the week] when they [were] in “work mode”".  
Line 70: Line 69:
  
 
==Learnings from Campaign==  
 
==Learnings from Campaign==  
[[Image:Mock 1.jpg|thumb|400px|left|The subvertisements: 'Insert Paranoid Statement Here']]
+
[[Image:Mock 1.jpg|thumb|400px|left|A [[subvertisement]]: 'Insert Paranoid Statement Here']]
[[Image:Mock 2.jpg|thumb|300px|left|The subvertisements: 'Non-English Neighbour...']]
+
[[Image:Mock 2.jpg|thumb|300px|left|A subvertisement: 'Non-English Neighbour...']]
 
These are the learnings from the campaign, according to the creators of the campaign - the [[Metropolitan Police Service]]: <ref name="Poster Campaign"/>
 
These are the learnings from the campaign, according to the creators of the campaign - the [[Metropolitan Police Service]]: <ref name="Poster Campaign"/>
 
* There was no indication or evidence to suggest that people had moved from being "good citizens" to being "alert reporters". As a result, "there is much work to be done to encourage people to be vigilant and call the [[Anti-Terrorist Hotline|ATH]] with information.
 
* There was no indication or evidence to suggest that people had moved from being "good citizens" to being "alert reporters". As a result, "there is much work to be done to encourage people to be vigilant and call the [[Anti-Terrorist Hotline|ATH]] with information.
Line 91: Line 90:
  
 
==Counter-Terrorism Radio-Advert Banned==
 
==Counter-Terrorism Radio-Advert Banned==
 +
{{YouTubeVideo
 +
|caption=Audio Recording of Banned Radio Advert that appeared on Talksport.<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20210123214041/https://pressgazette.co.uk/asa-censures-talksports-anti-terrorist-hotline-ad/</ref> Retrieved on 12 August 2010
 +
|code=lQubNQ5-ULc
 +
|align=right
 +
|width=350px
 +
}}
 
In August 2010, a radio advert created by the [[Association of Chief Police Officers]] promoting the confidential [[Anti-Terrorist Hotline]] was banned by the Advertising Standards Agency under "Section 2, Rule 9 of the (Broadcast) Radio Advertising Standards Code (Good taste, decency and offence to public feeling)".<ref name="ASA">[http://www.asa.org.uk/Complaints-and-ASA-action/Adjudications/2010/8/The-Association-of-Chief-Police-Officers/TF_ADJ_48887.aspx ASA Adjudication on The Association of Chief Police Officers], ''Advertising Standards Agency'',  11 August 2010, accessed 11.10.08</ref>  
 
In August 2010, a radio advert created by the [[Association of Chief Police Officers]] promoting the confidential [[Anti-Terrorist Hotline]] was banned by the Advertising Standards Agency under "Section 2, Rule 9 of the (Broadcast) Radio Advertising Standards Code (Good taste, decency and offence to public feeling)".<ref name="ASA">[http://www.asa.org.uk/Complaints-and-ASA-action/Adjudications/2010/8/The-Association-of-Chief-Police-Officers/TF_ADJ_48887.aspx ASA Adjudication on The Association of Chief Police Officers], ''Advertising Standards Agency'',  11 August 2010, accessed 11.10.08</ref>  
  
 
It appeared on the Talksport radio channel,<ref>[http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-10929203 Anti-terrorist hotline ad banned for being 'offensive'], ''BBC News'', 11 August 2010, accessed 11.08.10</ref> in which a man can be heard saying:
 
It appeared on the Talksport radio channel,<ref>[http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-10929203 Anti-terrorist hotline ad banned for being 'offensive'], ''BBC News'', 11 August 2010, accessed 11.08.10</ref> in which a man can be heard saying:
:"The man at the end of the street doesn't talk much because he likes to keep himself to himself. He pays with cash because he doesn't have a bank card, and he keeps his curtains closed because his house is on a bus route. This may mean nothing, but together it could all add up to you having suspicions. We all have a role to play in combating terrorism. If you see anything suspicious, call the confidential [[Anti-Terrorist Hotline]] on 0800 xxxxxx. If you suspect it, report it".<ref>[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQubNQ5-ULc Banned Anti Terrorism Hotline Radio Advert], ''Youtube'', accessed 11.08.10</ref>
+
:"The man at the end of the street doesn't talk much because he likes to keep himself to himself. He pays with cash because he doesn't have a bank card, and he keeps his curtains closed because his house is on a bus route. This may mean nothing, but together it could all add up to you having suspicions. We all have a role to play in combating "terrorism". If you see anything suspicious, call the confidential [[Anti-Terrorist Hotline]] on 0800 xxxxxx. If you suspect it, report it".<ref>[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQubNQ5-ULc Banned Anti Terrorism Hotline Radio Advert], ''Youtube'', accessed 11.08.10</ref>
  
 
The advert was banned after 18 official complaints were made to the Advertising Standards Agency (ASA).  
 
The advert was banned after 18 official complaints were made to the Advertising Standards Agency (ASA).  
Line 106: Line 111:
  
 
===Police Response===
 
===Police Response===
The [[Metropolitan Police Service]] - responding on behalf of [[ACPO]] - defended the campaign by suggesting that the purpose of the campaign was to inform the public that "[w]hat sometimes appeared to be insignificant behaviour could be linked to terrorist activity".<ref name="ASA"/> They continued: "[the] advert aimed to ask the public to trust their instincts and report anyone or anything that they believed was suspicious to specially trained police officers".<ref name="ASA"/>
+
The [[Metropolitan Police Service]] - responding on behalf of [[ACPO]] - defended the campaign by suggesting that the purpose of the campaign was to inform the public that "[w]hat sometimes appeared to be insignificant behaviour could be linked to [terrorist activity]]".<ref name="ASA"/> They continued: "[the] advert aimed to ask the public to trust their instincts and report anyone or anything that they believed was suspicious to specially trained police officers".<ref name="ASA"/>
 
 
==Criticisms of Campaign==
 
The anti-terror campaign has led to some serious criticism for the police services, who, it has been argued, were, through their adverts, exaggerating the threat and encouraging people in their everyday lives to spy on their neighbours and fellow citizens without any justifiable reason.
 
  
Critics have also argued that the entire campaign is aimed at the wrong people and that “raising awareness of the threat will only increase the fear and stress of the daily commute. If we must have an advertising campaign, maybe it is time to bring back the 'Keep calm and carry on' posters from retirement."<ref>Jeremy Kuper, [http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/apr/03/security-terrorism Join the Snooper Troopers], Comment is Free, 6 April 2009</ref>
+
==Criticism==
 +
The campaign has been criticised for exaggerating the threat of "[[terrorism]]" and encouraging people in their everyday lives to spy on their neighbours and fellow citizens. Critics argued that the campaign is aimed at the wrong people and that “raising awareness of the threat will only increase the [[fear]] and [[stress]] of the daily commute. If we must have an advertising campaign, maybe it is time to bring back the 'Keep calm and carry on' posters from retirement."<ref>Jeremy Kuper, [http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/apr/03/security-terrorism Join the Snooper Troopers], Comment is Free, 6 April 2009</ref>
  
 +
===Subvertising===
 
In response to the poster campaign, many people have manipulated the posters to show their wide-sweeping remit and ambiguity. Notable examples include slogans such as:<ref>[http://boingboing.net/2009/03/26/remixes-of-the-paran.html Remixes of the Paranoid London Police anti-terror/suspect your neighbours posters] accessed - 23 November 2009</ref>   
 
In response to the poster campaign, many people have manipulated the posters to show their wide-sweeping remit and ambiguity. Notable examples include slogans such as:<ref>[http://boingboing.net/2009/03/26/remixes-of-the-paran.html Remixes of the Paranoid London Police anti-terror/suspect your neighbours posters] accessed - 23 November 2009</ref>   
  

Latest revision as of 18:19, 28 March 2022

Event.png 2008 Counter-Terrorism advertising campaign(propaganda)  PowerbaseRdf-entity.pngRdf-icon.png
2008 Counter-Terrorism advertising campaign.jpg
DateJuly 2008 - August 2008
PerpetratorsMetropolitan Police, Greater Manchester Police, West Yorkshire Police, West Midlands Police
DescriptionA UK government program to ramp up fear of "terrorism" that was banned after public complaints.

The 2008 Counter-Terrorism advertising campaign was a joint effort by the Metropolitan Police and the police forces of Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire and the West Midlands to promote the "war on terror" and encourage "alertness" on the part of the UK populace. A five-week poster and radio campaign entreated the public to report any “suspicious behaviour” they may have encountered to the Anti-Terrorist Hotline. It was widely subvertised and criticised.

Official Narrative

One of the actual official posters from 2008

The campaign became known for its poster campaign, which had slogans such as:

  • “If you suspect it, report it”
  • “Terrorists won’t succeed if someone reports suspicious activity – you are that somebody”.
  • “Thousands of people have mobiles. What if someone with several seems suspicious?”
  • “You see hundreds of houses every day. What if one has unusual activity and seems suspicious?”
  • “Thousands of people take pictures every day. What if one of them seems odd?”

[1]

Rationale

The lead-agency that devised the campaign, the Metropolitan Police, suggested that the campaign was crucial because even though the London public was aware of "terrorism", they lacked “alertness”. When Londoners thought about "terrorism", they thought of “’bombs on tube/bus’, ‘man with rucksack’ because of past events. Their minds jump straight to the point of attack and therefore what they do not necessarily consider are the planning stages leading up to an attack.” The purpose of the campaign was to inform the public that rather than the actual attack, information was required about its preparation stages. Therefore, the campaign aimed to alert the public of the “community setting eg. home, local area, place of work etc...” [2]

Similar campaigns were started again in 2017 [3] and 2019 (cinema advertising campaign).[4][5]

Objectives

The campaign was part of the "war on terror".

Operational Objectives

  • Collate "actionable information" to minimise the risk from "terrorism"
  • To "reassure" the public that the Metropolitan Police and other police forces are working hard to combat "terrorism"
  • To ensure that people who reside in vulnerable areas understand what constitutes suspicious activity and understand the avenues to report such suspicions - ie., the Anti-Terrorist Hotline.[2]

Direct Objectives

  • Raise awareness, and trust, in Anti-Terrorist Hotline
  • Encourage people to report "suspicious" activity
  • Educate people what constitutes "suspicious activity"
  • "Reinforce and remind" the public to remain "alert and vigilant" in the "fight against "terrorism""
  • To ensure the public understands that the Police is working hard to combat "terrorism". [2]

Stakeholders

According to the Metropolitan Police Service, the stakeholders in the poster campaign are: [2]

Corporate Media

Research into the poster and radio campaign indicated that the best time to target people with the adverts was in the evening because when people were going into work, they did not let the threat of "terrorism" "get in the way of going about their day ... [and] were therefore, less likely to engage with a counter-terrorism message when in this work-focussed ... mode." [2]

Research suggested that the best time to communicate the message of the campaign was when people were in a "home mode" and were on their way home to see "family and friends" because "people do not generally fear for themselves when thinking about "terrorism"" but fear for "those close to them" and therefore "by communicating our messages at a time when our audience are on their way home to see these people would make the communication resonate even more." [2]

This requirement led to key evening press titles and radio slots to be chosen for dissemination of the campaign. [2]

Another major benefit of the evening slot was that an ongoing high-profile "terrorism" court-case (Operation Crevice) was being reported by the media, which meant that "our advertising was integrated within relevant editorial which would have generated higher recall amongst readers".[2]

Radio stations were selected because "the nature of radio ... meant that specific days and dayparts could be upweighted [and this] enabled the communication to reach people during drive time, evenings and weekends, as well as more towards the end of the week rather than the beginning [of the week] when they [were] in “work mode”".

The Metropolitan Police Service also purchased "a long list of specific keywords on the top three online Search Engines (Google, MSN and Yahoo) to ensure that the counter-terrorism section of the Metropolitan Police Service site would appear at the top of the results page. [2]

Learnings from Campaign

A subvertisement: 'Insert Paranoid Statement Here'
A subvertisement: 'Non-English Neighbour...'

These are the learnings from the campaign, according to the creators of the campaign - the Metropolitan Police Service: [2]

  • There was no indication or evidence to suggest that people had moved from being "good citizens" to being "alert reporters". As a result, "there is much work to be done to encourage people to be vigilant and call the ATH with information.
  • The radio campaign was most successful compared to any other mode of campaigning because "radio was able to cut through other advertising [modes and explain] the need for vigilance and trust of the ATH messages.
  • Outside of London, the campaign was a success and has succeeded "in generating awareness of the issue and its relevance to all [people], not just Londoners."
  • The campaign demonstrated that marketing has a role to play in providing people with not only information, but also [an] ability to positively affect people’s perceptions [and judgements] in regards to policing and safety."

No. of Calls Resulting from Campaign

During the campaign, there was a significant rise in calls regarding suspicious activity to the Anti-Terrorist Hotline in 2007. The results were:[2]

  • January: 318 calls
  • February: 280 calls
  • March: 681 calls
  • April: 346 calls

Internet Website Hits

The new Anti-Terrorist Hotline pages on the Metropolitan Police Service website had 2,101 hits in March 2007. This increased to 11,306 in April 2007.[2] The Greater Manchester Police website registered 328 visitors in March 2007 to its relevant Counter-terrorism pages. For April 2007, when the campaign was no longer running, it decreased to 112 visitors. There was also a slight increase in the number of visitors to the West Yorkshire and West Midlands CT pages.[2]

Counter-Terrorism Radio-Advert Banned

Audio Recording of Banned Radio Advert that appeared on Talksport.[6] Retrieved on 12 August 2010

In August 2010, a radio advert created by the Association of Chief Police Officers promoting the confidential Anti-Terrorist Hotline was banned by the Advertising Standards Agency under "Section 2, Rule 9 of the (Broadcast) Radio Advertising Standards Code (Good taste, decency and offence to public feeling)".[7]

It appeared on the Talksport radio channel,[8] in which a man can be heard saying:

"The man at the end of the street doesn't talk much because he likes to keep himself to himself. He pays with cash because he doesn't have a bank card, and he keeps his curtains closed because his house is on a bus route. This may mean nothing, but together it could all add up to you having suspicions. We all have a role to play in combating "terrorism". If you see anything suspicious, call the confidential Anti-Terrorist Hotline on 0800 xxxxxx. If you suspect it, report it".[9]

The advert was banned after 18 official complaints were made to the Advertising Standards Agency (ASA).

  • 10 listeners believed that the add encouraged people to suspect and report law-abiding citizens to the police and thus found it offensive (This decision was upheld)
  • 16 listeners believed that the ad "encouraged people to harass or victimise their neighbours" and was therefore "harmful" (this was not upheld)
  • 9 listeners believed that the advert played on the public's "fear" (this offence was not upheld).[7]

In describing why it was banned, the ASA suggested it "could ... describe the behaviour of a number of law-abiding people within a community and we considered that some listeners, who might identify with the behaviours referred to in the ad, could find the implication that their behaviour was suspicious [and] offensive ... We therefore concluded that the ad could cause serious offence." [7]

The ASA ruled that "The ad must not appear again in its current form."[7]

Police Response

The Metropolitan Police Service - responding on behalf of ACPO - defended the campaign by suggesting that the purpose of the campaign was to inform the public that "[w]hat sometimes appeared to be insignificant behaviour could be linked to [terrorist activity]]".[7] They continued: "[the] advert aimed to ask the public to trust their instincts and report anyone or anything that they believed was suspicious to specially trained police officers".[7]

Criticism

The campaign has been criticised for exaggerating the threat of "terrorism" and encouraging people in their everyday lives to spy on their neighbours and fellow citizens. Critics argued that the campaign is aimed at the wrong people and that “raising awareness of the threat will only increase the fear and stress of the daily commute. If we must have an advertising campaign, maybe it is time to bring back the 'Keep calm and carry on' posters from retirement."[10]

Subvertising

In response to the poster campaign, many people have manipulated the posters to show their wide-sweeping remit and ambiguity. Notable examples include slogans such as:[11]

  • "A bomb won't go off here because years before George Bush invaded Iraq."
  • "Last week a man idly wondered: are these cameras really protecting my liberty, or infringing it? He's dead now."

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References