Advertising gone too far?

I was unsure whether to blog about this or not, but you know what? I can't stop thinking about it - so I'm going to.

These ads are all up over London at the moment. It would be different if they had said on the ad WHAT it was for. But to just write 'Nothing good ever came out of America' is just wrong. It's an advertising campaign for a new tv station here called 'US5' that has only US tv shows. The channel claims that we should wait for the rest of the campaign as it will move on to show that the UK really DOES love US shows (which is TRUE)! But to be so blatantly derogatory is really insulting. I read that the Advertising Standards Authority(ASA) has received numerous complaints, and may force the channel to cease this advertising campaign, and on that note I will be complaining as well.

The spokesman for channel 5 says 'The really unique element of the Five ads is the way they turn the anti-American sentiment on its head by eventually touting the country's cultural exports.'

I know that this is what advertising is about, grabbing attention and generating discussion, but why is it necessary to be so offensive and derogatory?

If anyone out there agrees with me - click here to register your complaint.