A Phones4U ad campaign which started as a Halloween horror-themed viral has caused “distress” for a number of viewers after it appeared on television.
The post-watershed telly ad initially appeared in 2 second bursts between other adverts and featured a little ghost girl motioning out the gestures of the famous Phones4U hand sign. The ad was later released as a longer 30 second version where the same girl terrorises a woman in a spooky car park setting, whispering eerily and attempting to frighten the woman into buying the latest Samsung and HTC smartphones. We reviewed the frightfully clever clip back in October just as people started talking about the must-see controversial campaign and predicted that it would come under fire by sensitive viewers.
Over 500 telly viewers were indeed unprepared for the playful scare and complained to the Advertising Standards Authority claiming the clip was “offensive, irresponsible, unduly distressing and inappropriately scheduled at a time when children might see it” – when in fact the truth is that the clip was shown after 9pm, and as Phones4U stated in their appeal, this was during programmes not intended for young watchers. The ASA agrees with the mobile phone retailer and has thrown out the complaints.
In the meantime, Phones4U has rehashed one of its adverts in the £5.2-million campaign for the Christmas market. The clip still features an undead old dude, and a zombie hand punching out of the dirt to give the Phones4U sign – Represent!
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