An ad for Vancouver's Science World that features a man stepping on a nail and being hit with a flaming arrow has been deemed too violent to air on television.
The commercial for the non-profit educational centre features a man who stays unbelievably positive even when he gets kicked in the crotch and hit by a bus. The lesson at the end is that "optimists feel less pain."
But it was apparently too much pain for Canadian TV.
Censors rejected the script back in March, citing the commercial's main character being kicked in the groin, shot by an arrow, lit on fire, and hit by a bus as unacceptable for TV screens.
So Science World and Rethink, the creative agency behind the ad, decided to release it online, posting it to YouTube on Wednesday.
“We’re surprised the fun, slapstick script was not approved by Canadian censors,” Suan Teo, Science World’s marketing director, said in a news release. “From our experience, using comedy and an element of the unexpected is a great way to make science facts stick — and that’s what we’re all about.”
According to the Canadian Code of Advertising Standards, advertisements cannot "appear in a realistic manner to exploit, condone or incite violence."
Do you think the Science World ad crosses the line?
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