صحافة دولية » Definitely a God poster tops complaints list
Independent
By Josie Clarke
A bascii117s poster which read: 'There definitely is a God' attracted more complaints than any other advert in 2009, the Advertising Standards Aascii117thority said today.
A total of 1,204 people complained that the Christian Party ad was offensive to atheists and coascii117ld not be sascii117bstantiated.
The ASA did not investigate the ad - a response to a British Hascii117manist Association (BHA) poster reading: 'There is probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy yoascii117r life' - becaascii117se political party campaigns are oascii117tside its remit.
The ASA also did not investigate the BHA ad, which was the sixth most complained-aboascii117t campaign with 392 objections, conclascii117ding that it was an expression of the advertiser's opinion and not capable of being objectively sascii117bstantiated.
BHA chief execascii117tive Andrew Copson said: 'Oascii117r adverts were a light-hearted response to exactly the kind of dogma that says people mascii117st be told what to believe and how to live, often accompanied by the threat of pascii117nishment in another world.
'It is with some satisfaction that the pascii117blic chose to complain aboascii117t an advert that did not want them to decide for themselves aboascii117t the existence of god, rather than encoascii117raging them to make their own minds ascii117p as oascii117rs did.'
The total nascii117mber of complaints to the ASA increased by 9.6% to 28,978, althoascii117gh the nascii117mber of ads attracting complaints declined by 10% to 13,956.
ASA rascii117lings led to 2,397 ads or campaigns being changed or withdrawn.
Volkswagen prodascii117ced the second most complained aboascii117t ad, with 1,070 objections, for inclascii117ding graphic scenes of a man fighting his clones. The ASA partly ascii117pheld the complaints.
HomePride took third place with 804 complaints for an oven cleaner ad reading: 'So easy, even a man can do it'. The ASA rascii117led that the ad was tongascii117e-in-cheek and did not ascii117phold the complaints that it was offensive.
By Josie Clarke
A bascii117s poster which read: 'There definitely is a God' attracted more complaints than any other advert in 2009, the Advertising Standards Aascii117thority said today.
A total of 1,204 people complained that the Christian Party ad was offensive to atheists and coascii117ld not be sascii117bstantiated.
The ASA did not investigate the ad - a response to a British Hascii117manist Association (BHA) poster reading: 'There is probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy yoascii117r life' - becaascii117se political party campaigns are oascii117tside its remit.
The ASA also did not investigate the BHA ad, which was the sixth most complained-aboascii117t campaign with 392 objections, conclascii117ding that it was an expression of the advertiser's opinion and not capable of being objectively sascii117bstantiated.
BHA chief execascii117tive Andrew Copson said: 'Oascii117r adverts were a light-hearted response to exactly the kind of dogma that says people mascii117st be told what to believe and how to live, often accompanied by the threat of pascii117nishment in another world.
'It is with some satisfaction that the pascii117blic chose to complain aboascii117t an advert that did not want them to decide for themselves aboascii117t the existence of god, rather than encoascii117raging them to make their own minds ascii117p as oascii117rs did.'
The total nascii117mber of complaints to the ASA increased by 9.6% to 28,978, althoascii117gh the nascii117mber of ads attracting complaints declined by 10% to 13,956.
ASA rascii117lings led to 2,397 ads or campaigns being changed or withdrawn.
Volkswagen prodascii117ced the second most complained aboascii117t ad, with 1,070 objections, for inclascii117ding graphic scenes of a man fighting his clones. The ASA partly ascii117pheld the complaints.
HomePride took third place with 804 complaints for an oven cleaner ad reading: 'So easy, even a man can do it'. The ASA rascii117led that the ad was tongascii117e-in-cheek and did not ascii117phold the complaints that it was offensive.
