A Somerfield radio commercial that made a pun on the word "faggots" was the most written-about ad of the month, according to the Ads That Make News survey, compiled by Propeller Communications and Durrants Media Monitoring.
In the spot, banned by Ofcom, a husband said to his wife: "I've nothing against faggots -- I just don't fancy them." While gay rights groups complained about the use of the word faggots, Somerfield claimed the ad was comical and it simply promoted the meat product. This led to support in some quarters from those who argued that the ban was "ridiculous".
Irn-Bru sparked similar furore with an ad featuring a woman who revealed she used to be a man. Ofcom received 17 complaints about the spot, several from transsexuals, and banned the ad, which was created by the Leith Agency. Coverage in the media made it the second most written-about ad last month.
Martin Loat, director of Propeller Communications, said: "Controversy continues to be a factor that turns adverts into high-profile campaigns. It is rarely clear to what extent the publicity is planned -- whether the ad was created with the intention of being banned or whether the brand is genuinely surprised by the ban."
Load said banned ad campaigns often made a greater short-term impact on the public consciousness than if they had not been so controversial.
"It is a technique worth noting as it becomes increasingly difficult to achieve standout," he said.
The third most written-about advertising campaign was Tesco, which decided to drop the long-running Dotty character, played by Prunella Scales.
Controversy made another appearance at number four, with the RSPCA's complaint about an ad for Wall's sausages that showed a dog being slammed against a glass door. Ofcom later cleared the commercial, which was created by McCann Erickson.
Top ten Ads That Make News for July 2004
1 Somerfield 'faggot' ad ban
2 Irn-Bru transsexual ad ban
3 Tesco drops Dotty
4 Wall's animal cruelty accusations
5 BT signs Jeremy Clarkson
6 Heinz introduces new label
7 Pampers targets fathers for first time
8 FCUK poster ads must be vetted
9 Government uses dying man in anti-smoking ads
10 Renault's 'va va voom' slogan appears in dictionary
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