ASA Adjudication on Merlin Entertainments (Dungeons) Ltd

Ad

A poster, on London Underground trains, showed a knife whose blade was comprised of text that stated “DO SOMETHING AGONISING GIVE BLOOD”. Further text stated “Acne, asthma or indigestion, the prescription’s the same - a blunt blade chewing your vein. Stomach lurching, you watch your blood slowly drip-drip into a crusted bowl. You feel faint. Only two more pints to go. Experience the full horror of surgery in the 1700s. Surgery - Blood and guts. New at the London Dungeon."

Issue

NHS Blood & Transport and three members of the public objected that the ad misappropriated the National Blood Services long-standing campaign line "Do something amazing, give blood" and misleadingly implied that blood donation was a painful experience, thereby irresponsibly discouraging people from giving blood.

CAP Code (Edition 11)

Response

Merlin Entertainment ("The London Dungeon") said the ad was part of a campaign for their exhibition "Surgery - Blood and guts", which featured various examples of historical medical surgery featuring amputations, trepanning and bloodletting.  They stated that bloodletting in the 1700s was purported to be a treatment for illnesses such as asthma and indigestion and argued it was clear that the ad was depicting the nature of that historical surgical experience.  They believed a number of visuals, such as the use of an old tool, blunt blades and gloomy background, made it clear it did not represent the experience readers could expect to receive in a modern clinical environment, or during blood donation.  

The London Dungeon said they sought advice from the CAP Copy Advice team prior to publication, who were of the view that the ad was unlikely to cause serious or widespread offence, or cause distress to readers.  

CBS Outdoor, which owns the poster sites, said that the text clearly referred to surgery in the 1700s and thought it unlikely that readers would think it was a representation of the current NHS blood donation experience.

Assessment

Not upheld

The ASA acknowledged the complainants concern that the ad may discourage readers from donating blood. However, we considered that the ads text and visuals made clear it was referring to the surgical experience in the 1700s and the beliefs about treatment in that period.  The ad was clearly branded as The London Dungeon and was in keeping with what readers would expect from the theme of its exhibitions.  Whilst we understood some readers would recognise the similarity of the phrase "DO SOMETHING AGONISING GIVE BLOOD" to the National Blood Services "Do something amazing, give blood", we considered that the ad was likely to be seen as a tongue-in-cheek reference to the pain of historical surgery in contrast to the modern blood donation experience.  We concluded that the ad was unlikely to mislead readers or discourage them from giving blood.

We investigated under CAP Code clauses 2.2 (Responsible advertising) and 7.1 (Truthfulness) but did not find it in breach.

Action

No further action required.

Adjudication of the ASA Council (Non-broadcast)