Tesco Mobile’s Ad Campaign Deemed Offensive by Watchdog
Tesco Mobile, the UK-based mobile network operator, has come under fire for its latest ad campaign. The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), the UK’s advertising watchdog, has deemed the campaign offensive and has ordered Tesco Mobile to remove the ads from circulation.
The ad campaign in question features a series of images of people with their faces covered in food, accompanied by the tagline “You want it. We’ve got it.” The images were intended to promote Tesco Mobile’s range of mobile phones and tariffs, but the ASA received a number of complaints from members of the public who found the ads distasteful and offensive.
In its ruling, the ASA stated that the ads were likely to cause serious or widespread offence, and that they breached the advertising code on the grounds of taste and decency. The watchdog also criticised Tesco Mobile for failing to respond to the complaints in a timely manner, and for failing to provide adequate evidence to support its claims that the ads were not offensive.
Tesco Mobile has since apologised for any offence caused by the ads, and has removed them from circulation. In a statement, the company said: “We take our responsibilities as an advertiser very seriously, and we are sorry that our recent ad campaign has caused offence. We have taken immediate action to remove the ads from circulation, and we will be reviewing our advertising policies to ensure that this does not happen again.”
The incident has highlighted the importance of responsible advertising, and the need for companies to consider the potential impact of their campaigns on different groups of people. While humour can be an effective tool in advertising, it is important to ensure that it is not used in a way that is likely to cause offence or harm.
As consumers become increasingly aware of the impact of advertising on their lives, it is likely that we will see more cases like this in the future. Companies that fail to take their responsibilities as advertisers seriously risk damaging their reputation and losing the trust of their customers. In the age of social media, where news travels fast and reputations can be destroyed in an instant, it is more important than ever for companies to think carefully about the messages they are sending out to the world.
