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GREAT BRITAIN |
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Adjudication of the Advertising Standards Authority:
Ad:
A press ad, for the Motorola "MOTORAZR V3i" mobile phone designed by Dolce & Gabbana, appeared in the Daily Telegraph, The Times, The Sunday Telegraph and The Sunday Times. The ad showed the two male designers, one standing in front of the other. The man standing to the rear was holding the phone at an angle so that it resembled a barber's razor, whilst the other had a cut on his cheek. Text at the top of the page stated "The new gold MOTORAZR V3i Dolce and Gabbana. The Cutting Edge of Technology."
Issue:
The complainants thought the ad was offensive and irresponsible, because it seemed to condone knife-related violence, and particularly to glamorise sexual violence.
Response:
Motorola said they had created a visual metaphor between a barber's razor and the RAZR phone to highlight the "razor" thinness of the phone and its cutting edge technology. They explained the stylised razor cut on the man's cheek was included to emphasise this. Motorola disagreed that the ad condoned knife-related violence. They argued that the ad, featuring the designers themselves, was stylised and artistic and, as such, did not seek to represent a realistic depiction of a razor cut or an act of aggression. Motorola added that the overall image projected was not one of violence. They also rejected the suggestion that the ad glamorised sexual violence and explained that Dolce and Gabbana appeared together in the ad because they had a long-standing and well-known business relationship.
The Times said they viewed the ad as a pun on the product name "Razr". They conceded that the concept was daring, but added that neither character in the ad had a violent, aggressive or sexual posture; they also pointed to the absence of any weapon in the ad. The Times disagreed that the ad could cause serious or widespread offence or be seen to condone sexual violence and confirmed that they had not received any complaints.
The Daily Telegraph said they believed their readers would appreciate the imagery of the mobile phone and its relationship to the headline "The Cutting Edge of Technology". They told us they had received two complaints about the ad.
Assessment:
Complaints not upheld
The ASA considered that most readers of The Times, The Sunday Times, The Daily Telegraph and The Sunday Telegraph would appreciate that the ad was promoting the MOTORAZR V3i mobile phone, designed by Dolce & Gabbana. We also considered that most readers were likely to understand the relationship between the image of a mobile phone that, when viewed at an angle, resembled a razor, and the product name RAZR. We concluded that, because the image was highly stylised, the ad was unlikely to cause serious or widespread offence to most readers. We also concluded that, in the context of the ad as a whole, the image was unlikely to be seen to condone knife-related violence or to glamorise sexual violence.
Action:
No further action necessary.
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