The NHS rolled out a £25,000 ‘Cocktales’ campaign designed to highlight the dangers of drink to young people specifically in Derbyshire, only to see it taken off YouTube.

The video shows a young woman who urinates in the street, falls over and is then jeered at by a group of passing young men. When I saw this clip, I just presumed it was a fly on the wall documentary about Preston, and didn’t think anything of it. However ‘Bloody Mary’ received 15,000 hits in the eight days it was on YouTube and was also distributed to local media.

Alison Pritchard, from Derbyshire Primary Care Trust said: ‘This video does have a dark humour in it designed to capture the imagination and show what can happen if you overstep the mark on a night out. ‘It has been banned from YouTube because of its content which we realise some people may find controversial. We want people to think about the main messages of safe drinking and use the information to make informed choices on their nights out, particularly around the Christmas period.’

If you’re the kind of person who likes to go out of their way to be offended, just to confirm they will be offended, it can still be viewed at the campaign website. The second instalment tantalizingly involves a man dressed as a turkey, who unfortunately gets run over.

I don’t know about you but I love a good sausage. However Wall’s has been criticised for branding their “Lincolnshire” and “Cumberland” sausages in packets that do not state the meat comes from Europe.

Their owners the Irish food producer Kerry Group, said ‘Lincolnshire’ and ‘Cumberland’ only refer to the recipe and not the origin of the meat, which apparently comes from Denmark, Holland and Germany, as well as Britain.

It is The Sunday Telegraph (amongst others) who are been campaigning for greater clarity in food labeling, and who brought this to the attention of the media. The Kerry Group’s director of corporate affairs Frank Hayes estimated that half of Wall’s meat came from Britain and said there was not enough pork in Britain to meet demand.

There are a range of promotional savory items (although sadly not sausages), but if your looking for some promotional snacks ask the promotion experts at www.sweets2order.com. Branded mince pies, branded crisps, branded pretzels - you would be surprised what’s available. Of course if you need to know what the ingredients (and where they come from) that go into your promotional snacks then they can let you know no problem.

Ofcom has received a significant number of complaints, over the perceived poor handling of our new national treasure Susan Boyle.

The unlikely singing sensation who has learning difficulties, was taken to private London clinic ‘The Priory’ on Sunday, following fears for her mental health after Saturday nights final.

Apparently the head strong Scott ran down the corridor backstage shouting, “I hate this show” after missing out to dance group Diversity, She is also said to have thrown a glass of water over a floor manager. Considering the amount of pressure she was under, surely one is aloud to have a little strop – without being sent into care?

‘Britain’s Got Talent’ producer Talkback Thames admitted that “contestants are not psychologically tested and has now said it will review this policy2, according to the Daily Mail.

While John Whittingdale MP, chairman of the Commons culture, media and sport committee, told The Telegraph; “that the programme-makers had questions to answer about their duty of care to such a vulnerable contestant.”

At it’s highest point the final of ‘Britain’s Got Talent’ was watched by a whopping 19.2m viewers - the biggest ratings in five years.

Prince Charles’ ‘Duchy Herbals’ brand is under scrutiny by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) over claims made about his Detox Tincture product.

This wonder health product is said to “assist in cleaning the kidneys and reducing fluid retention”, and “stimulating digestive secretions.” However Edzart Ernst, (who is the UK’s first professor complementary medicine), said the detox potion was based “outright quackery”. Further more he’s stated that there was no scientific evidence what so ever that the product works.

If you have lost faith in the Prince’s alternative health remedies, then there are plenty of alternatives available on the promotional products market. An unusual corporate gift would be a printed zen set or zen garden, which would help relieve the stress out of your hard working staff. Similarly one could choose to invest in some inexpensive promotional incense sets. If you’re looking to spoil your staff, and want a corporate gift for the home, then a printed green tea bath set is worth considering.

Those business that market themselves on their green credentials, should prepare to be inspected by The Committee of Advertising Practise shortly. They are busy preparing themselves to tighten regulations over company’s claims to being ‘green.’

The trend of “green-washing” has been with us for a while and seems every one is at it. Even Shell who are surely one of the most polluting brands the entire universe has known, claims to be eco conscious. With everyone claiming to be green, the value of the eco label is in danger of becoming worthless.

The aim of the initiative is put an end to vague and misleading buzzwords such as; “carbon neutral”, “wholly sustainable” or “low emission”, which business use to market themselves with.

If your business is serious about marketing itself in an eco friendly way, then environmentally friendly promotional products are an effective medium. One business is ecoproducts2order, as they have a great range of eco friendly and recycled promotional products available.

“THERES PROBABLY NO GOD. NOW STOP WORRYING AND ENJOY YOUR LIFE”

Do you find this offensive? Or does it fill you with optimism? The more eagle eyed of you will have seen them on the side of buses or on the tube, in the latest marketing campaign by the British Humanist Association. The ad which is meant to make people feel good about themselves, is bound to cause offence to some people. The view held by prominent Atheists such as Richard Dawkins who personally donated to the scheme, is that we have Bishops seated in the House of Lords so atheists should at least be aloud to market there beliefs.

In the news today was reports of a bus driver in Southampton who refused to drive the bus and just went home! Ron Heather, 62, an evangelical Christian from Southampton, refused to drive a bus bearing an advert from a national campaign aimed at persuading more people to “come out” as atheists. Although he later bravely said, “I’m not going to let passengers down because of my feelings.”

How do you feel about the scheme? Is it right for Atheists to market themselves, and advertise their godless morality? Do you respect their liberty, but disagree with their message?

The ASA are looking into the matter, as they have received nearly 150 complaints (although that doesn’t strike me as being that many). Interestingly Stephen Green the mouthpiece for ‘Christian Voice’, argues that the advert breaks the advertising code on the grounds of a lack of truthfulness.

The case continues…

First it was pheasants, now 4×4’s, I’m afraid I’m giving you more examples of inaccurate branding.

An ad by Chi & Partners has been banned due to being perceived as misleading the public. The advert ran in the national press, being for the Toyota RAV XT-R and claimed that the vehicle had a ‘low C02 emissions’ at 173g per km.

The ASA (independent regulator for advertisements, sales promotion and direct marketing) said: “Because it was unclear that the low emissions claim was intended to be a comparison with other SUV vehicles, we considered the ad was likely to mislead.”

However Toyota disputes any fowl play, as they argue that their readers are likely to understand the low carbon emissions label was relative to other SUV’s, rather than to smaller cars. I personally can see Toyota’s point, as anyone who thinks an SUV will have very low emissions shouldn’t be allowed on the roads in the first place. However, the ASA ruled that the ad has ‘breached substantiation, truthfulness and environmental claims rules,’ thus the advert will never be seen again.

If you take environmental issues seriously, and feel somewhat cheated by Toyota, than there are many great eco friendly promotional products available to your business. I’m still on the look out for a promotional eco friendly 4 x 4 for myself, but I’ve found some corporate gifts that I’d like nearly as much.

Browsing the ecoproducts2order website, I came across some great promotional products that could entertain me for hours - like this recycled yo yo and boomerang for example!

You may have seen the recent controversial TV ad run by Barnardos, depicting scenes of violence and drug abuse. Despite complaints from the public calling for the advert to be taken off the air, the Advertising Standards Authority has allowed the advert to stand.

The official figures from the ASA show that 48 viewers has challenged whether the ad should be shown when large numbers of children may be watching, while 29 viewers – some of whom who had  been reported of having been abused as children themselves questioned that the ad could cause serious distress.

The ASA allowed the advert to continue, by making the crucial distinction that the scenes may inappropriate for other adverts, but are justifiable in the context of a charity campaign such as this. If you have been offended by any form of advert, or believe a promotion to be untruthful then the you can register your complaint here.

It isn’t the first time the charity has caused controversy with their adverts. This time in 2003 they ran an advert with images of babies with syringes and cockroaches in their mouths. This shocking campaign soon got taken off the air. I respect the creative minds behind these adverts and the message they are trying to send, however I don’t think they should have the right to offend many members of the public. Work like this could make a great video installation piece for a gallery – I would perhaps even pay to see it. But in the context of a public broadcast, I believe it to be inappropriate.

It is certainly an interesting debate on where the boundaries of advertising and marketing lie. In my normally liberal opinion, having seen the advert (while I was having dinner) I don’t think it should be aired before the watershed. It will be adults who will be most likely potentially donating to the charity in any case. I resent the fact that we are helplessly exposed to offensive adverts, which are becoming more and more shocking. However with most of these shocking adverts promoting a good cause, what is to be deemed acceptable seems something of a grey area.

Businesswoman Lady Carole Bamford has been blasted by advertising watchdogs, after falsely claiming thousands of her pheasants were organic.

Lady Bamford failed to observe EU laws, which ban shot pheasants from being classed as organic, as they are the products of hunting. %3Cbody%3E%3Cdiv%20id%3D%22adDiv%22%3E%3CA%20HREF%3D%22http%3A//ads.anm.co.uk/ADCLICK/CID%3D0000b139bb3f965200000000/AAMSZ%3D452×118/SITE%3DTHISISGLOU/AREA%3DNEWS/SUBAREA%3DHOME/ARTICLE%3D531940/acc_random%3D6229420650/pageid%3D/RS%3D%22%20target%3D%22_new%22%3E%3CIMG%20SRC%3D%22http%3A//iad.anm.co.uk/house/1×1.gif%22%20ALT%3D%22Click%20here%21%22%20border%3D0%20style%3D%22margin-bottom%3A%200px%3B%22%3E%3C/A%3E%3C/div%3E

It is also an offence to market any product as organic without proper certification – which Lady Bamford’s pheasants failed to have. A spokesman said: “The image implied the pheasants were organic but there was nothing to prove that was the case so the adverts were incorrect.”

 The pheasants are sold at outlets in Selfridges, Harvey Nichols, and shops in Pimlico Road and Sloane Square, as well as her country estate in Kingham. It seems shopping in designer shops doesn’t guarantee you’re getting what you thought you were getting.

Animal Aid shooting consultant Kit Davidson said: “No matter how much you pay for them, shot pheasants start their journey to your table as factory farmed birds, shot for fun and picked up by a dog from the mud. What Lady Bamford’s firm did was irresponsible and they should have known that the advert was untruthful.”

If you’ve just spat out that mouthful of expensive pheasant that you were previously enjoying, then I do apologise. However there is a business that specialises in real organic products. They don’t have pheasants, but they have other promotional organic goodies I think you will enjoy.

A new ‘winter wonderland’ has opened for business, but has left many feeling out in the cold.  The Lapland New Forest’s (at Matchams Leisure Park on the Hampshire-Dorset border) website promises much with snowy scenes and the promise of real log cabins, nativity scenes, a bustling Christmas market, husky dogs and other animals. The site goes on to “assure you of an absolutely magical scene, just look how real and cold the snow appears to be.”

Reports in the media from around the country, indicate that the public have been left somewhat disappointed. In reality for your £25, you have the underwhelming choice of visiting; a broken ice rink, a Christmas market described as a “few green painted sheds with more or less nothing in them” and a nativity scene which is a “picture on a painted wall.”Rather than being a winter wonderland, one lady told the BBC that it was “hell”, with “huskies being chained up in a pen howling, yapping and generally looking thin and unhappy.” This almost apocalyptic description seems amusingly ironic as Christmas is after all a celebration of the birth of Christ.

Well if you’re not tempted by the prospect of damp sheds and ravenous dogs, then there are many festive promotional products, to add some festive spirit to your home or workplace. Christmas is the perfect opportunity to showcase your taste in promotional gifts. One site that can take the headache out of the endless searching for seasonal promotions is promo store. From the humble office tree decorations, to the grandest of promotional exhibitions, their friendly team can make your Christmas 2008 a real cracker.  

I know I’ll have enough on my plate this Christmas, (and we don’t mean the turkey), without having to worry about dodgy promotional gifts. The helpful team at promo store can supply and print high quality gifts like festive greeting cards, baubles for your tree, and the Christmas gift bags that go under it. They even have advent calendars to count down the days.