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Posted by Pippa Duffy
on July 27, 2009, 20:10:53, in reply to "Re: misleading advertising"
86.159.153.221
Here's the reply I received today:
Dear Mrs Duffy
Thank you so much for contacting us about our advertisement. We always welcome feedback.
We are sorry that you found our advertisement insensitive. Great Ormond Street Hospital would never want to upset any parent or relative of a sick child. As the largest centre for surgery in children with heart problems in the UK, heart surgery is a large part of what we do and, of course we are sensitive to children with these conditions.
Since the advert has been screened since August 2005, it has been seen by many millions of people. We have had exactly four complaints. There have been two complaints to the Advertising Standards Authority, both were by the same person, and both were not upheld. We have treated a good many thousands of heart patients since launching the ad and to our knowledge none of our families past or present have complained.
The phrasing in the advert is clearly not ideal if it can be misunderstood and when the advertisement is revised we would certainly use something different.
Our TV advertising generates hundreds of thousands of pounds each year to support sick children and that it would take many months and many thousands of pounds to generate a high quality new advertisement: no change could be made by a quick snip of the existing film.
However, although we already research advertisements carefully with our families and staff, we will redouble our care to do so with any future advertisements.
I hope you accept our deep regret for any distress we have caused you, this was not our intention.
Thank you again for contacting us with your comments, which we assure you will be taken into account in future.
Yours sincerely,
Barbara Ashley
Supporter Services
Great Ormond Street Hospital Children's Charity
40 Bernard Street
London WC1N 1LE
switchboard: (020) 7239 3000
direct line: (020) 7239 3033
email: barbara.ashley@gosh.org
I am double checking with a mate of mine who runs an agency, but from my own agency days, I'm pretty sure that it's actually very easy to cut a segment from a voiceover, anyway when he's replied, I will take it up again with Barbara, because as well as still not being comfortable with the content, I am also unhappy with being fobbed off with this as an excuse! At the same time, I wouldn't want them using up valuable funds, reworking an ad, but it's a principle too, isn't it?! I wonder what might happen if we make an official complaint - perhaps a central message that we all signed, in style of a petition - we might look more organised and carry more weight that way..... Jo Wilson - what do you think to this suggestion? x
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