Telecommunications

Advertisement:
Press advertising for Vodafone’s Sky Sports mobile service appeared on the front inside, back inside and back outside pages (as full pages) of a Sports Supplement. It appeared as a full page double spread in the middle of the supplement and also as strip advertising on eight pages of the supplement.

Advertisement 1
The main advertisement in the centre of the newspaper supplement featured two men sitting on a bench. One man is holding a mobile phone with one hand and biting his friend’s arm. The second man on the bench in turn is biting the first man’s shoulder and has his hand on the man’s head.

The advertisement states
“Sky Sports Mobile comes with epic saves
Get Sky Sports Mobile TV, exclusively on Vodafone- Vodafone Power to you.
Search/Vodafone Sky Sports
Sky Sports Mobile TV is exclusive to Vodafone as part of your mobile plan. For full terms and conditions see vodafone.ie for details.”

Advertisement 2
The one page advertisement in the same supplement once again shows the man biting his friend’s shoulder and is accompanied by the following text:
“Sky Sports Mobile comes with last minute corners
Get Sky Sports Mobile TV exclusively on Vodafone – Vodafone Power to you
Search/Vodafone Sky Sports
Sky Sports Mobile TV is exclusive to Vodafone as part of your mobile plan. For full terms and conditions see vodafone.ie for details.”

Advertisement 3
The strip advertisements read as follows:
“Vodafone with Sky Sports Mobile TV comes with safe hands
Vodafone with Sky Sports Mobile TV includes tense final seconds
Vodafone with Sky Sports Mobile TV includes direct free kicks
Vodafone with Sky Sports Mobile TV includes tense extra time
Vodafone with Sky Sports Mobile TV comes with amazing runs
Vodafone with Sky Sports Mobile TV comes with unbelievable passes
Vodafone with Sky Sports Mobile TV includes last minute defence
Vodafone with Sky Sports Mobile TV includes last minute time outs”

Advertisement 4
The imagery used in the final advertisement on the last page of the supplement is similar to advertisements one and two and once again features the man biting his friend’s arm. The imagery is accompanied by the following text:

“Sky Sports Mobile includes all the gripping moments
Get Sky Sports Mobile TV, exclusively on Vodafone – Vodafone Power to you
Search/Vodafone Sky Sports
Sky Sports Mobile TV is exclusive to Vodafone as part of your mobile plan. For full terms and conditions see vodafone.ie for details.”

The complainant objected to the imagery used in the advertising material. She likened the imagery of one man biting the other man’s arm to assault and found it to be both disgusting and offensive. She feared that if young people were to view the images they may consider assault to be acceptable in today’s society.

The advertisers said that the intention behind the advertising had been to show two friends sharing a tense moment in sport. From their point of view there was no suggestion of violence or aggression, rather it was the tension and excitement associated with watching the sporting drama unfold that was evident. The action portrayed by the various scenes reflected what they considered to be a typically unconscious reaction in such circumstances akin to hiding behind a sofa, digging fingernails into the palm of a hand, or breaking a pencil. The tension was building and the message in the advertising was that Vodafone customers could now experience such feelings through watching Sky Sports on their mobile phones.

Finally for the avoidance of doubt the advertisers reiterated that there was no intention on their part to celebrate aggression, violence, or personal attacks, through the scenes portrayed in their marketing communications.

Complaint not upheld.

The Complaints Committee considered the detail of the complaint and the advertisers’ response. They considered that when the advertising in question was viewed as a whole and in context that the message behind the imagery used was the excitement experienced by Vodafone customers when watching Sky Sports on their mobile phone.

They did not consider the advertisements had breached Section 2.30 of the Code.

Action Required:
No further action was required in this case.