The British agency responsible for administering standards for advertising has added actress Angelina Jolie to their humourless list of targets. The ad for the movie “Wanted”, featuring Jolie, has joined several online casino advertisements in being pulled from distribution by the Advertising Standards Authority.
The ASA previously made news for ordering a Ladbrokes online gambling commercial barred after a single complaint was registered in a nation of over sixty million. The ad humorously compared gambling to swimming with sharks as a safe way to find excitement. Watch it here! The TV campaign by William Hill was also banned for breaking betting advertising rules by featuring a woman who was “desperate” to gamble and was hiding it from her family. Watch William Hill Bingo Banned Ad here!
The Wanted DVD Ad shows Jolie curving the path of bullets with her mind, and shooting into a car while upside down in a car flipping over the first. The commercial clearly displays a humorous and fantastic setting, but the ASA seems to take all scenes literally.
The authority said the ad – which juxtaposes images of gun violence with Jolie showing off her bare back – “could be seen to condone violence by glorifying or glamorizing the use of guns.”
It was unclear what practical effect, if any, the ruling would have. The “Wanted” DVD was released in Britain nearly six months ago.
The advertising authority has no power to enforce its writ, but it can refer advertisers to Britain’s Office of Fair Trading for legal action.
The agency has also banned a Requestabet.com ad which made joking comparison between gambling and investing in the stock market. At the time, one critic declared the ASA correct, saying tongue-in-cheek that the market was no laughing matter and investors were probably angry they hadn’t wagered their money instead.
Media analyst Howard Bunker says, “The ASA should probably review the spots for ‘Mr. and Mrs. Smith.’ After all, they show a husband and wife gleefully trying to kill each other, which may promote domestic violence. And what about Beowulf? Naked Jolie morphing into a monster? Talk about misogynous.”
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