Save the Children mailshot banned
Howard Lake | 12 October 2006 | News
A mailshot for Save the Children (SCF) has been banned by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) after it received complaints that it implied that children with brown eyes might die young.
The mailing, designed by Proximity, comprised a leaflet and an envelope which showed the close-up of the eyes of a child of African origin and text on the front that said: If you have brown eyes, you’re more likely to die young. The same message was repeated on the back of the envelope with a close-up of the eyes of a child of Asian origin. The leaflet inside carried the message: Most children born with brown eyes are born in the world’s poorest countries, detailed the plight of children in African and Asia and asked for a donation of £3 a month.
Complainants were concerned the envelope might be seen by children who did not understand the full message of the mailing and thought the text was likely to cause undue fear and distress to children.
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SCF said the mailing was intended to educate recipients about the numbers of children dying in pooer countries each year and it had not intended to shock or distress.
About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.