Sat 05 May 2007The BBC says no to (blatant) adsPresent Tense: At the start of the week the BBC
banned a song from its radio stations.
Style, Attract, Playby Shocka turns out to have been an
elaborate commercial for a hair product, and its brief infiltration
of the commercial-free broadcaster was part of a covert plan by
advertising agency Saatchi & Saatchi.The BBC reacted with typical annoyance, and there was a brief
flurry of indignation. After all, if we can't trust the advertising
industry, then who can we trust? The track itself is a blippy
techno number, catchy after a while, but ultimately disposable.
Still, it's the best song about hair gel that's been in the charts
for a long time.