Five US ads "not offensive"

Five has escaped further action from the Advertising Standards Authority against advertisements for the digital channel Five US.

A total of 99 complaints were made against a poster shown prior to the channel's launch, which stated "Nothing good ever came out of America".

The complainants, some of whom were US citizens, thought the ad was "offensive and racist towards Americans", and as it was not clear what it was advertising, it was "irresponsible and distressing and could incite violence in areas where racial tension already existed."

Five said the ads were just the first stage of the campaign, which designed not to be considered in isolation, but as a precursor to follow-up posters that stated "Who says nothing good ever came out of America. The new channel from Five showcasing the best of the US," printed over images of American film icons.

The complaints were not upheld as the ASA considered that the ad "did not refer to a specific ethnic group and that the phrase was not an obvious racial insult in itself."

While noting that some complainants had clearly found the term offensive, it did not consider it was likely to cause serious or widespread offence.

The ASA also noted that the follow-up ads had been placed relatively soon after the first in both the same sites and considerably more additional ones.