It's fairly common practice for ads to be binned by a client or chastised by the ASA but - in these most delicate of credit crunchy times - its a tad more unusual for a media owner to stand their ground and object to accepting creative which they think might offend their readership.
The banned ad...
So kudos/loud boos are the order of the day for Environment Industry Magazine, which took the moral high-ground when Blueleaf flicked the finger at them.
The Cheshire-based agency created the pictured ad for client Japanese Knotweed Solutions.
Now before you think this sits on the blatantly gratuitous side of the fence let us hand you over to the agency's Duncan Watts, who detailed the thoughts behind the work on the agency blog:
"We’d been briefed to write a hard-hitting advert aimed at an environment industry audience warning of the increasing Japanese Knotweed problem.
"Japanese Knotweed is the most invasive plant in Britain, it only takes tiny fragments of rhizome the size of a fingernail for a new plant to grow, and once established it can grow at an alarming rate of up to 10cm a day destroying building foundations, drains etc.
"The advert needed to be impactful and reflect the client’s no-nonsense approach to dealing with the problem.
"Our solution was a hand giving a single finger salute, with the line next to the fingernail explaining that it only takes a piece the size of a fingernail for the plant to cause devastation.
...and its softer sibling
"Coupled with the line, “Bring it on” to get across our client’s no-nonsense approach, the advert is certainly brash and stands out, but we feel is intelligent at the same time.
"The image might be offensive to some, but the target audience is mainly builders and developers so we felt it was on the money.
"Unfortunately, the publication it was intended for did not agree, so refused to run it."
Not wanting to give their own creative concept the finger, Blueleaf managed to reach a compromise whereby they censored their ad and directed readers to the client's website.
"The censorship is perhaps even more impactful than the original advert," concluded Watts.
Interest in the client is apparently now growing like the proverbial weed and the Blueleaf team feel this is one 'offensive' that's really taken hold.
You can see the creative in a slightly larger format at www.jksl.com/ad.
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