ASA supports Government’s gun amnesty ad campaign
A Government press ad for a gun amnesty, which showed a close-up of a young person’s face with a gunshot wound in the forehead, has attracted ten complaints on the grounds of being offensive and distressing.
The Advertising Standards Authority has not upheld the complaints because of the seriousness of the message and adds that the image directly related to raising awareness about the gun amnesty.
The campaign was created by Euro RSCG Wnek Gosper and used the strapline “Get guns off the streets”.
The ASA has upheld complaints against SSL International’s poster ads for the Durex Performa condoms range, which feature inflated condoms arranged to form the word “ejaculator”.
The ruling comes weeks after Durex was forced to pull down an execution for its first billboard campaign, featuring condoms arranged to form the words “Roger More” after the ads were found to be sexist and offensive (MW May 22). The ads were created by McCann-Erickson Manchester.
Last week the agency stamped the word “rogered” across its advertising for Durex (MW last week).
The advertising watchdog has also upheld complaints against press ads for Patrick Cox shoes which show naked legs of a woman wearing shoes and a grimacing man on his back, behind the woman, with his legs in the air. A second man’s groin is shown pressed closely against the first man, with his head between the first man’s feet.
The ASA has ruled that the ad is sexually provocative and likely to cause serious offence. It is also investigating press ads against Channel 4’s series Six Feet Under, a week after the TV channel was ordered to take down its posters.
