Irritiating Crazy Frog ad draws 400 complaints

by Staff, Brand Republic 20-May-05, 08:30

LONDON - More than 400 viewers have complained about the new Jamster ringtone ad, starring Crazy Frog, because they find it irritating.

The company's frog mascot had previously been in trouble because his genitals were visible -- but this only drew around 60 complaints.

The latest spot, in which the frog is genital free, has seen over 400 people complain to the Advertising Standards Authority simply because it irritates them so much.

The complaints include a viewer from Sevenoaks who said the ad made his "blood boil", according to a report in The Sun.

The ASA is powerless to do anything about the ad because it is not offensive or against the code in any way.

The Crazy Frog ringtone has made around £10m for ringtone company Jamster thanks to its Swedish creator David Malmedahi, a 24-year-old computer components salesman from Gothenburg, and Erik Wernquist who designed the frog.

A spokesperson for Jamster told The Sun: "The vast majority love it. It will continue while people want it."

With the ASA's email complaints system in place, it appears that viewers are taking advantage of the ease of complaining and doing so in higher numbers that before.

Other ads that the ASA is due to investigate include a KFC spot that has drawn over 1,000 complaints because it shows people singing with their mouths full and is said to encourage bad manners, and a spot for Fanta Z showing people spitting out mouthfuls of drink.

Earlier this week, HHCL/Red Cell's 'Have you got the Pot Noodle horn?' spot was cleared, despite the fact it received a massive 620 complaints.

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